“She’s a travel blogger. Her itineraries are amazing. If she takes the lead, you’ll save yourself a ton of planning.”
She was already pulling out her phone as she added, “Great, it’s settled. I’ll send her your WhatsApp.”
I hesitated, but ultimately, the idea pulled me in. I had been overwhelmed trying to plan the trip on my own, and after years of not traveling, even the excitement felt unfamiliar.
That afternoon, I took leave to attend the anniversary celebration at my alma mater.
In front of the library, a lively group of students was laughing and taking photos. At the center stood a cheerful-looking boy, his arm loosely around a girl in a white dress.
The two of them looked striking in the sunlight.
“Kiss! Kiss! We need it for the campus couple wall.”
The boy shyly laughed and leaned in, gathering his courage. The sunlight cast itself over them, awakening a distant, old memory of youth.
“Huh? Isn’t that Arianne? Our year’s campus belle. Damn, she is really robbing the cradle now.”
The classmate beside me said it a little too loudly.
Arianne’s head snapped in our direction.
Our eyes met, and panic flickered across her face.
She instinctively pushed Hudson away and started to walk toward me, but he grabbed her arm firmly. He said something I could not hear, and she hesitated, lowering her gaze.
My phone buzzed. It's Arianne's text.
[Don’t get the wrong idea. They were just messing around, and I didn’t want to kill the mood.]
I didn’t even bother giving her the bare minimum “okay.”
Soon after, I followed the group to the café we used to visit, listening to the familiar chatter all around me.
“Clyde, what is your situation now?”
I lifted my coffee and answered calmly, “Single.”
Someone leaned in with interest, clearly ready to stir the pot.
“You should take a page out of Arianne’s book. If a relationship doesn’t work out, go find yourself a younger guy. Look at her and her new boyfriend. They actually look pretty good together.”
I smiled lightly. “Yeah. Talented man, beautiful woman. Very well matched.”
As the words left my mouth, the entire table fell silent. Their gazes shifted past my shoulder, toward something behind me.
Arianne had come in at some point.
I had no idea how long she had been standing there, but her expression was already dark.
“Clyde, come outside with me.”
The absurdity of it hit me all at once.