: Putting on a Show

2

'Thanks, but that's not the point.'

'We already did all the "cultivating"—the hand-holding, the kissing, all of it!'

'Now that our relationship is shattered, what's left to cultivate?'

Outside the movie theater, while I was plotting my escape, Aiden Hale had already grabbed my hand and dragged me inside.

'Are you seriously planning on watching this movie?'

'A romance, of all things. The theater is full of couples. It's hardly the right place for two people who just broke up.'

"The tickets are paid for, so of course we're going."

He shot me a look. "You're not chickening out, are you? I haven't even gotten back at you for slandering me and saying I cheated!"

"Who says I'm chickening out!"

'It's just that watching a movie with this man feels like bad juju.'

When Aiden Hale and I first got together, we were very high-profile.

He sent me love letters and flowers, and our whirlwind romance was common knowledge among all our friends.

Which is why our breakup was so ugly.

"All our friends know we're together. If they ask about it later, we'll have to explain. Why don't you just call them all, one by one, right now and tell them we broke up."

But I can be ruthless. So I actually did it, calling them one by one. With every call I made, Aiden Hale's face grew darker, until it was as black as the bottom of a pot.

"You're happy we broke up, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm ecstatic. So happy I could go run half a mile right now."

"Fine! If I ever speak to you again, I'm a dog!"

Our breakup was so nasty, it's a miracle we can even sit together and watch a movie now.

What's even more of a miracle is that we'd be caught red-handed by one of our friends.

"Aiden? Hanna? You guys are here for a movie?"

Our friend stared at us, shocked, before finally breaking into an awkward smile. "I knew it! You two breaking up had to be fake."

I chuckled, my attention fixed on the green tea girl trailing behind our friend.

'She was probably thrilled when Aiden Hale and I broke up. Now, seeing us walk into a movie theater together, her eyes look like they could eat me alive.'

And so, I linked my arm with Aiden Hale's.

"We just had a little fight. Don't mind us. We're here to catch a movie together."

Aiden Hale glanced at me but didn't push me away, tacitly going along with it. Across from us, the green tea girl's hands balled into fists.

"But Chloe, you don't look very happy. Are you displeased that Aiden Hale and I have gotten back together?"

The green tea girl snapped out of it and quickly forced a smile.

"Of course not! Seeing you, Hanna, and Aiden doing so well, I couldn't be happier."

'Thanks, but your fury is written all over your face. Only a blind person would miss it.'

'If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way.' I told Aiden Hale to go buy us some popcorn.

He stopped and gave me a half-smile.

"Is this how you ask for a favor? You're certainly shameless when it comes to ordering people around."

"Of course. Otherwise, when I get home, I'll just tell my mom it's because you're too cheap to even buy me popcorn!"

3

Holding a large bucket of popcorn, I walked into the theater, completely satisfied.

As luck would have it, Chloe Jordan's seat was right next to ours, to Aiden Hale's left.

The moment we sat down, Chloe Jordan grabbed Aiden Hale's hand and launched a full-on coquettish assault.

"Aiden, you haven't taken me to a movie in ages. Do you like this one?"

Her brother, sitting beside her, was mortified. Chloe Jordan was his own sister, so he couldn't really say much, and just tried to quickly pull her back.

"Aiden is obviously on a date with Hanna. Stop bothering them."

"Why? How am I bothering them? I'm sure Aiden won't mind, right?"

'What a joke. Why don't you ask if *I* mind?'

Aiden Hale shot her a glance. His eyes fell on her hand, which was gripping his sleeve, and he immediately yanked his arm away.

I watched their little back-and-forth and laughed to myself.

The movie began. Back then, everyone online was saying it was a must-see romance for couples.

I was expecting some touching love story, but to my surprise, it turned out to be a film with definite horror elements.

Ten minutes in, we'd already had the third jump scare, and Aiden Hale's face was white as a sheet.

Don't be fooled by his usual cocky, I'm-six-feet-tall-and-don't-give-a-damn attitude. In reality, he's a firm believer in the supernatural. He's never set foot in a haunted house and exclusively watches comedies.

The plot built to a climax, and everyone was completely engrossed. Right at that moment, a jump scare hit, and the entire theater screamed.

As someone with nerves of steel, I calmly observed from the side, watching with my own eyes as Chloe Jordan let out a scream and, quick as a flash, threw herself into Aiden Hale's arms.

???

'Her brother is sitting right there. Is she for real?'

But the best part was, Aiden Hale's expression changed instantly. Before anyone could react, his reflexes kicked in and he shoved the person beside him straight to the floor.

With a loud THUD, Chloe Jordan hit the ground before she could even process what happened, staring dumbfoundedly at Aiden Hale.

"Aiden, I..."

"What the hell are you doing? Keep your hands to yourself!"

Aiden Hale was clearly terrified. All his usual refined manners had vanished without a trace.

The man in the row ahead of us couldn't stand it anymore. He turned around and glared at Aiden Hale, displeased.

"Hey, buddy, how can you be so rough? Shoving your own girlfriend onto the floor like that. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find one these days?"

"So what? She's not my girlfriend. My girlfriend is right here."

As he spoke, Aiden Hale pointed at me.

I was still laughing my head off when I was suddenly put on the spot.

Everyone's eyes landed on me, then shifted to Chloe Jordan on the floor.

"Whoa, that girl has no shame."

"I know, right? Throwing herself at a guy when his girlfriend is sitting right next to him."

In the end, her brother apologized to us profusely before dragging Chloe Jordan out of the theater. Aiden Hale, still shaken, pulled me out with them, and we left early too.

We were much quieter after we left the theater. The streets were bustling with people, but I'd lost my appetite for dinner with Aiden Hale. I just lowered my head and started walking home.

"Hey, what are you going to say back home?"

Halfway there, Aiden Hale suddenly spoke up, and only then did I remember that we were on a blind date.

"I'll just say we didn't hit it off."

"No way. I got the feeling Mrs. Hale really likes me."

He rubbed his chin, a smug look on his face. "With a face like mine that charms young and old alike, there's no way she doesn't like me. If you say you weren't interested, Mrs. Hale will just say you have terrible taste."

"Then what am I supposed to say? That we used to date but broke up? Speaking of which, you still owe me a dog's bark!"

: Still Can't Let Go

4

In the end, I managed to piss Aiden Hale off enough for him to storm out. I've always had a talent for getting on people's nerves, and when it comes to Aiden Hale, I'm a natural.

Sure enough, the moment I got home, my mom rushed over to me.

「Why are you back so soon? Did you two get a chance to know each other?」

'Hilarious.' We knew each other inside and out—so well that I even knew which nostril he preferred to breathe through when he slept.

「Nah, I wasn't into him.」

The words had barely left my mouth before my mom was shouting.

「What did you say?! Was it you who wasn't interested, or was he not interested in you? I bet he was the one who turned you down!」

I sat down on the sofa, and my mom immediately sat down next to me, still muttering away.

「Look at your age! You're in no position to be picky. You should be grateful he's not the one being picky with you! I think Aiden is a great kid—he's handsome, good-natured... practically the model of a perfect husband.」

'Thanks, but no thanks.'

I'll admit he's handsome. That face is the whole reason I went for him in the first place.

As for being "good-natured"...

I should have recorded the moment Aiden Hale shoved Chloe Jordan and shown the video to my mom.

「Besides, I chatted with his mother today, and she's wonderful. His whole family is full of well-mannered, respectable people. A son-in-law like that is a rare find, and you're just going to let him go?」

My mom was still rambling on from the sofa. I was starting to suspect she was Aiden Hale's biological mother, not mine.

I finally couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, planning to retreat to my room to escape the storm.

「Long story short, I'm not interested. We're not a good match. Besides, I'm not looking to date anyone right now, so you can stop worrying about it. If you try to set me up on another blind date, I'm not going.」

「Is it that you don't want to go on blind dates, or are you still waiting for *him*?」

Her words stopped me in my tracks.

My hand tightened on the doorknob.

I heard my mom sigh behind me.

「Hanna, listen to your mother. You and him... there's really no chance anymore.」

The room instantly fell silent, the only sound coming from the TV. I stood in the doorway, struggling to keep my body from trembling.

My mom came up behind me and patted my shoulder.

「I know Cameron Gavin is a good kid, but it just wasn't in the cards for you two. You can't be so fixated on the past. Life is about moving forward.」

「I know.」

I closed my bedroom door. Just before it clicked shut, I heard my mom sigh, full of confusion.

「It's been so many years. Why can't she just let him go?」

That night, I lay in bed, unable to sleep.

The truth is, my insomnia had been severe ever since Cameron Gavin left. For a long while, I even needed medication to help me sleep.

Cameron Gavin was my first love, the boy I'd adored from middle school all the way through high school.

In high school, I studied like a maniac to catch up to him, just so we could be together. You could say that getting into one of the country's top universities was largely thanks to him.

Because of that, my mom was actually happy to see our young romance blossom.

After graduating from high school, we both got into the same university. We were the couple everyone envied.

We planned to get married right after graduation. That is, until our junior year, when disaster struck Cameron's family. His father's business suffered a major blow, and he was framed by his own brother and thrown in jail.

Fortunately, his father had been prepared for the worst and had arranged to send his only son abroad immediately.

From that moment on, Cameron Gavin and I lost all contact.

For a long time after he left, I kept thinking.

I wondered what crucial piece of fate we were missing, and where on earth I could ever find it.