But he never showed up, nor did I receive any more calls from him.
When I got into a taxi, Sherry updated her social media with a picture of Luxor busy in the kitchen.
The caption read, [My man is so domesticated!]
I gradually got even more disappointed.
There was no anger, no sadness, just a calmness like still water within me.
Sherry was right. In Luxor's heart, she would always be the first, and I was just a dispensable girlfriend.
Back home, everything was just as I had left it.
A little dusty.
Luxor hadn't come back all week.
I cleaned up the guest room and lay down.
Luxor had said he would pick me up a day ago, yet I hadn't received a single message from him.
I looked at my phone and saw a message from Casper.
[Stella, are you sure you don't want to collaborate with me? This new studio venture will definitely benefit you, and I also have a national-level competition in hand. We can split it 40-60, with me taking 40 and you 60. If not, I can take 30 and you 70.]
Casper was two years younger than me and we met when the new students started school. Like me, he was an art major and had always wanted to start a studio with me.
At that time, my world revolved only around Luxor, and there was no room for anyone else, so I had turned him down.
But Luxor left me in a crisis and ran off with Sherry.
[Okay, let's meet and discuss it tomorrow.]
[Sure, Stella. This studio venture will definitely be a safe bet for both of us!]
Through the screen, I could feel Casper's excitement.
[Stella, how's your leg? You should rest first. We can discuss everything in a few days.] He replied.
I took out the drawing paper and tried to recover my feeling for it.
I was so absorbed in the painting that I didn't notice that there was another person in the room.
"Stella?"
I raised my head and frowned slightly.
"When did you come back?"
I rubbed my eyes. They felt sore from reading for a long time.
Luxor's voice was filled with anger.
"Why didn't you answer my calls?"
I didn't understand. It was just a missed call. He often didn't answer my calls or reply to my messages before.
"I'm busy. I didn't hear you."
This was the countless times he had brushed me off, and now I was returning the same excuse to him.
I stood up with one leg and reached for my phone on the bedside table. As soon as I unlocked it, the message notifications kept chiming.
Some were from Luxor, and some were from Casper.