"If she wasn't somewhat good-looking, I wouldn't even bother to look at her, let alone date her."

"Exactly, girls like that are just for fun. Don't tell me you're actually starting to like her. That'd be embarrassing."

Evan Dixon was holding court in the private room, speaking loudly and with contempt, and his words tore me down without a second thought.

I stood frozen in the doorway with a tray of drinks in hand, feeling like I'd fallen into an ice-cold pit.

So, this is what he really thinks of me.

He had always looked down on me because of where I came from.

Then what was yesterday's "I have feelings for you" supposed to mean?

My heart clenched as I staggered back a step, barely keeping my balance.

"Tia! Why are you standing there like a statue? Get the drinks over to room 305!"

The manager's loud voice echoed from down the hall, snapping me out of my thoughts. My eyes instinctively darted toward the private room.

Evan seemed to hear the manager, too. He jumped up and quickly made his way to the door.

My heart leaped into my throat.

Just as he was about to step out of the room, I panicked and ducked into the nearby hallway.

My thoughts were spinning.

How am I supposed to face him?

Should I scream and have it out with him?

Or should I just ask what these past few years meant to him?

Evan stepped out into the hall, but it was empty. He frowned and pulled out his phone.

At that moment, my own phone vibrated.

I glanced at the screen with trembling hands.

Our last conversation was from yesterday afternoon, when I'd told him I had a bit of a cold.

Now, he'd texted: [Sorry, babe. I was focused on schoolwork and didn't see your message. Are you feeling any better?]

Reading his message, bitterness welled up inside me.

How had I not noticed before how good he was at lying?

The air felt thick with resentment as I struggled to breathe. Before I could think of how to reply, I heard his voice again, further down the hall.

"Evan, what are you doing standing there?"

Evan slipped his phone back into his pocket with a carefree grin.

"I forgot to text her back yesterday, so I figured I'd send her a quick one now. Women, man—they might be dumb, but you still have to sweet-talk them."

Tears started falling uncontrollably after I heard his words and looked at his earlier message.

All those sweet nothings now seemed like a cruel joke.

I clenched the tray in my hand and retreated to the employee break room.

I'd been picking up shifts between classes just so I could afford a decent birthday present for him.

But now? It didn't seem worth it anymore.

When I didn't respond, Evan sent another message:

[Babe, I'm busy working on my final project. I'll come see you after I'm done. What do you feel like eating?]

Staring at his message, the emotions I'd tried to suppress came rushing back.

He was just in that room, talking trash about me like it was nothing, like it was fun for him.

And now he was pretending to care?

The frustration and hurt turned into a wave of disgust.

I started to type, ready to end things with him.

But then I realized—

We hadn't even reached that point.

Evan had never actually said I was his girlfriend...

How pathetic.

I was the one fooling myself all along.

I couldn't hide the sting in my eyes. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, I sent him a message.

[Let's not see each other anymore.]

After that, I put my phone down, only to notice the words etched on my phone case: "I'll meet you at the top."

A wave of memories from four years ago hit me.

Back when I was in my junior year of high school, I got my first phone.

Where I was from, educational resources were scarce, and we were often behind in keeping up with the bigger cities.

To catch up and learn new things, I started looking for help online.

That was when I met Evan.

He was incredibly good at math, which happened to be my weakest subject.

During that stressful period leading up to my SATs, I was constantly on edge.

I was terrified of disappointing my parents.

I was afraid that all my hard work over the past few years would amount to nothing.

It was a time when I was caught in a spiral of self-doubt, and I even fell into a mild depression.

I couldn't bring myself to talk to people or connect with anyone.

But Evan was always there for me.

He would help me with math problems and crack jokes to make me laugh, easing the pressure.

He'd say things like, "Sweetie, you're better than anyone else. Every bit of effort you put in is laying the foundation for your future success. I'll be waiting for you at Stanford, and I can't wait to see you when we get there."

The day before my exams, he even sent me a gift—a handwritten letter and a little teddy bear.

The letter had one line that stayed with me ever since.

He wrote, "Tia, I'll meet you at the top."

I carefully cut out those words and slipped them into my clear phone case.

That way, I could look at them anytime and feel like he was right there with me.

But now, I wasn't so sure anymore.

Was he sincere when he said those things?

Or was he the type to say stuff like, "These country girls haven't seen the world, and they act so pathetic. They should just go back to farming."

The thought tightened around my chest like a vise, making it hard to breathe.

I couldn't stand being here any longer. Grabbing my things, I rushed out of the break room.

But I didn't get far before I bumped straight into a warm, solid chest.

My throat felt blocked, and I couldn't speak.

"Tia? What are you doing here?"

The unfamiliar voice made me look up, and I realized I was face-to-face with Nathan Miller, Evan's sworn enemy.

I didn't know much about him except for the things I'd heard from Evan.

In Evan's eyes, Nathan was nothing but trouble. Not a good guy at all.

Stunned for a couple of seconds, I backed away from him, choking out an apology.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you."

Nathan frowned, his deep gaze fixed on my face.

"Have you been crying?"

His expression shifted like he was suddenly irritated.

I thought maybe I'd upset him by accidentally running into him.

I bit my lip and shook my head.

"No, I swear. I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Be honest."

I froze, my hands trembling.

"I am telling the truth. I didn't mean to bump into you."

"That's not what I'm asking. Why were you crying?"

His expression grew darker, like a caged tiger about to break free.

I didn't understand. We barely knew each other.

We didn't even greet each other when we passed by.

So why did he care about this?

And how was I supposed to explain?

Was I supposed to say I had fallen for someone who didn't care about me at all?

Or that I had been humiliated, reduced to nothing more than gossip over drinks?

"Miller, it's nothing. I just got something in my eye…"

Before I could finish, Evan's voice rang out from down the hall.

My heart clenched, and I instinctively wanted to run.

But I had only taken a few steps before I heard his shocked voice.

"Tia? What are you doing here?"

I froze, my mind blank, unable to process anything.

I knew my face must have looked terrible.

Before I could say a word, Evan's voice grew louder, angrier.

"Have you been following me?"

I turned to look at him, the face I knew so well suddenly looking foreign.

Evan's eyes landed on Nathan standing next to me, and his expression darkened even further. He looked at me and said coldly,

"Tia, come here."

It wasn't a request—it was a command.

Did he think of me like a dog, one he could summon and dismiss whenever he pleased?

I took a step back, refusing to move toward him.

Evan's eyes narrowed, anger flaring as he clenched his jaw.

"Tia, if you don't come here right now, I swear I'll never speak to you again."

Didn't he see the message I sent earlier?

Nathan let out a low, mocking laugh.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Stop kidding yourself. She's here for me."

I stared at Nathan, shocked.

He smirked and casually draped his arm over my shoulders.

His scent was clean and fresh as he leaned in closer.

I stiffened, too nervous to move, just staring at him.

"Tia," he said smoothly, "tell him—weren't you here to see me?"

He smiled, but the look in his eyes didn't reach his heart.

Evan clenched his fists, glaring at us.

The guy next to Evan stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation.

"Tia, don't make a scene. Playing hard to get doesn't work on everyone."

With that one line, I recognized his voice from the private room.

It was him—the one who'd been talking about me earlier.

Yeah, my games didn't mean anything to Evan.

In fact, my existence didn't mean much to him at all.

So why would he care?

"He's right. I was here to see Nathan."

I knew Nathan was trying to help me out, and I wasn't going to betray someone who'd stepped in to save me.

I wasn't like Evan, who could lie through his teeth.

Evan's face turned a dark shade of red at my words.

Nathan, on the other hand, seemed to be in a great mood.

"I told you to wait outside, but it's fine. I'll walk you out. Dealing with these kinds of people is such a waste of time."

With just a few words, the tension in the air shifted dramatically.

Evan's aura grew more intense, his eyes burning with fury as he glared at me.

"Tia, come here now, and I'll forgive you. You'd better think this through."

Hearing his thinly veiled threat, I shook my head.

"There's nothing to forgive. Don't bother."

"Let's just not see each other anymore. It's over."