My boyfriend threw a party to celebrate my birthday.

During the event, he played the paper-tearing game with his ex-girlfriend.

When the tissue fell, they kissed passionately.

After the kiss, my boyfriend smiled gently and said, "Still so sweet."

When others noticed me, their expressions seemed awkward.

I couldn't pretend I didn't see, so I approached her and asked curiously, "How sweet was it?"

*****

It was my birthday and also my anniversary with my boyfriend, Mark Smith.

He said he had prepared a surprise for me and asked me to arrive on time.

When I got to the bar, I saw an unexpected surprise.

He and his friend were playing the paper-tearing game.

In this game, one person holds the paper in their mouth while the next person tears away half of it with their mouth.

The girl next to him was his ex, Rachel Quinn.

I wasn't sure if it was the tissue's fault or the ambiguous atmosphere, but the moment Rachel tore the paper from Mark's mouth, the tissue fell, and their lips suddenly touched.

What's even more ridiculous is that after they separated, Mark licked his lips, looking as if he was still unsatisfied, and said to Rachel, "Still so sweet."

I don't know which of his friends noticed me first, but one of them shouted, "Ah, our birthday girl is finally here..."

A hint of panic flashed across Mark's eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

"Molly, why are you just arriving? We have been waiting for you for a long time. Come, let me introduce you to..."

I didn't agree with him as I had before.

At that moment, I didn't want to deceive myself any longer.

"How sweet was it?"

"What's sweet? Molly, do you want to eat cake? I'll..."

I interrupted him.

"Mark, what are you still pretending for? I saw everything. Let me ask you, how sweet is Rachel Quinn's mouth? Do you want her to give you another kiss so you can savor it?"

At that point, Rachel stood up.

"Molly, we were just playing a game. You can't be so petty. Mark and I are just friends now; we have already talked it out."

Just friends?

I laughed.

"What kind of friends kiss each other like that?"

In an instant, the atmosphere became tense.

"Molly, I know you won't overthink this. We all move in the same circles. Rachel and I were together when we were young and naive. You understand our relationship; it was innocent and uncomplicated."

When I heard Mark's words, I laughed out loud.

Perhaps it was because I always seemed good-natured in front of Mark and his friends.

They actually thought my smile meant understanding and forgiveness.

One of Mark's friends chimed in, "Rachel, you didn't catch the tissue just now, so you have to drink three glasses of wine as punishment."

Before Rachel could respond, Mark defended her.

"You all know that Rachel is allergic to alcohol and can't drink it. Forget it; give me the wine, and I'll drink it for her."

After we finished drinking, he explained to me nonchalantly, "Molly, you won't mind, will you? I'm just helping my good friend avoid drinking. If it were you, I would help you too. But you can handle more than I can, so you don't need my help."

"I really don't need your help. I can handle everything on my own."

"That's not true. I can assist you with those matters. I can bring you a level of happiness like no other."

After saying this, he even flashed a malicious smile.

I was slightly taken aback.

I never expected him to say such things to me on this occasion.

Mark's friend noticed something was wrong and spoke up for him.

"Molly, don't worry about it. Mark must have had too much to drink and is a bit tipsy. You know, he can only get drunk after three glasses of wine."

Yes, if his friend hadn't told me, I would have forgotten about Mark's low alcohol tolerance.

Every time he comes to hang out, he's the one drinking milk while everyone else has wine.

This time, he drank three glasses for his so-called good friend, but he wouldn't even have half a glass for me.

He made an excuse that it was because I can drink a lot without getting drunk.

The truth is, Mark can't handle much wine. He's not cut out for it.

I guess it's not that he can't drink, but that he's drinking with the wrong person.

At this point, a drunk Mark was leaning back in his chair to rest.

Watching this scene unfold, I felt it was extremely ironic.

Rachel looked at Mark with worry in her eyes.

I turned around and prepared to leave.

Rachel called me, saying, "Molly, what do you mean? Mark asked us to prepare a birthday surprise for you early this morning. He is drunk and feeling uncomfortable now, but you want to leave. Do you love him or not? Someone like you doesn't deserve him at all..."

I sneered.

"You're right, I don't deserve him. You're the only one who should be his girlfriend. So, I've decided to help you two. Congratulations! You no longer have to pretend to be his good friend and do things couples do. After all, you're not happy acting, and I feel sick watching you."

"Oh, and by the way, I didn't ask him to give me a birthday surprise. He proposed it on his own. If you're jealous, when you two are together, you can ask him for another one."

Her face turned pale instantly, and she stammered, "I... I didn't mean that..."

"What do you mean by 'you didn't mean that'? Mark has fainted, and you're still pretending in front of me. Who are you pretending for? By the way, I'm worried that your Mark will bother me when he wakes up. Please keep him under control and don't disturb me."

After saying that, I left without looking back.

Breaking up is always a personal matter.

In the past, I had poor judgment and mistook straw for treasure.

Now, I don't want to waste my time on this worthless situation.

I find it repulsive.

As soon as I stepped outside, I received a call from the delivery man.

To celebrate this day, I had also prepared a surprise for Mark.

I took the box from the delivery man and felt a bit foolish.

Since Mark had mentioned that he liked this particular model, I had gone to great lengths and used several connections to obtain it for him.

However, unexpectedly, we broke up before I had the chance to give him the gift.

Before I could process my thoughts, a drunk man approached me, swaying as he walked.

His gaze felt greedy and intense.

I considered hiding, but he quickly rushed toward me.

"Sweetie... where are you going? Come, I will take you home..."

Suddenly, another man stepped in front of me and, in an instant, pinned the drunk to the ground.

I thanked him repeatedly.

When he turned his head, I realized I recognized him.

It dawned on me who he was.

It was Yates Clark, a friend Mark often mentioned.

Although he said he was fine, I noticed blood on his hands. It must have been from the drunk's counterattack.

I felt a pang of guilt, knowing he had been injured because of me.

"Yates, I'm so sorry you got hurt. There's no pharmacy nearby. If you don't mind, would you like to come home with me, and I can take care of it? Or I can take you to the hospital?"

As soon as I said it, I regretted my impulsiveness.

I had only been thinking about treating his wound quickly, but I realized that Yates and I were not familiar with each other at all.

We had barely exchanged a few words.

Just as I was about to apologize for my forwardness, he spoke up.

"Hmm... Is it inconvenient to disturb you so late?"

"It's fine. It's just me and my dog at home. Let's go."

I thought that, given his personality, he would not agree to come with me.

After all, he is the most reserved among Mark's friends and seems uninterested in anything.

When I first saw him, I even wondered if he was mute.

I expected our time together to be awkward, but surprisingly, he actively sought out topics to discuss.

The conversation started off a bit awkwardly.

He asked hesitantly, "Um... are you... okay?"

When people are feeling down, sudden concern can be overwhelming.

I felt my eyes welling up for no clear reason.

Perhaps it was because I wasn't very familiar with Yates, which made it easier to open up.

I began to share my frustrations about Mark and Rachel.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just a little sad. But it's okay. I've been considering breaking up with Mark for a while now. I just felt reluctant after being together for so long. But today, I've finally let go."

"Yates, as an outsider, do you think Mark and Rachel are in the wrong? I've never seen two good friends kiss so passionately like that..."

Throughout the journey, he listened patiently, allowing me to vent my feelings.

As we neared my door, I casually asked, "Yates, do you think they are going too far?"

"Yeah, that's quite excessive," he replied.

At that moment, I found Yates more appealing.

As soon as I opened the door, my dog bolted out.

To my surprise, the dog pounced on Yates.

"Hey, my lucky dog really likes you! I've never seen him react like this with anyone else."

Yates didn't say anything, but I noticed the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile.