"Your stomach problem is so severe. Why are you eating something cold? You're risking your life."
I took a bite, and it tasted just cloyingly sweet.
It was not delicious, even somewhat bitter.
The air also became foul.
I was about to ask the boss if the ice cream had gone bad when a couple happily ate theirs with relish.
That seemed to be my problem.
Suppressing the melancholy, I turned back home.
Upon my arrival, Amelia texted me.
[Are you home yet?]
I glanced at it but didn't reply.
Not long after, she sent another message. [We didn't enjoy the meal today because of you. Let's host them another day.]
I still didn't reply.
Perhaps Amelia had lost her patience and called me directly.
I put down my phone and ignored it.
When I got back from the shower, my phone had stopped ringing.
Before going to sleep, I habitually checked Instagram, only to unexpectedly see a post by Oscar from five minutes ago.
Amelia appeared to have hired a surrogate driver, with her and him seated in the back of the car.
In the photo, she leaned lazily on his shoulder with her eyes closed. He lowered his head slightly, and his lips were only half an inch away from hers.
The caption read: [No matter how much time goes by, we'll always be the same.]
With a mocking smile, I replied to her: [Congratulations.]
The next day, I packed up and went out to work.
Upon opening the door, I was greeted by breakfast on the floor.
It was evident who had delivered it.
I picked up the breakfast, went downstairs, and threw it into the community trash can without hesitation.
When I glanced up, Amelia appeared in front of me with a sullen face, holding her cell phone.
"Did you throw away the breakfast I bought you?"
Her words betrayed her displeasure and anger. She glared straight at me with bright eyes.
"I mentioned that I disliked everything you said or gave me."
I calmly walked past her, but she grabbed my wrist.
"Adrian, are you still making a fuss?"
"Making a fuss?" I gazed at her with composure. "Didn't you treat me like this before? You also know that this is a fuss, don't you?"
Like me, Amelia suffered from severe stomach problems, so the doctor advised me to monitor her meals closely. To help her recover, I enrolled in a cooking class to learn how to prepare nutritious food.
However, she had never taken a bite of it.