My Boyfriend Made Me Stand for Ten Hours for My Bestie

I handed it over to him without a second thought. When the tickets came through, I found myself stuck with a standing-room ticket all over again. Her eyes crinkled as Chloe smiled, and I could practically see the smug satisfaction written all over her face. She waved her phone in front of me, showing her first-class ticket to me. "Vince was actually going to get you a first-class seat, but I didn't want you to feel left out while we were talking." "I want to have Vince all to myself for some girl talk, Soph. You won't be mad at me, right?" I froze, and the tears came up before I could stop them. Instead of wiping away my tears, I snapped at Vincent. "Are you kidding me? You get to sit comfortably for ten hours, while I'm stuck standing the entire way?" "If you didn't want to get me a seat, why didn't you just let me book my own ticket??" Vincent's expression darkened, but he said nothing. Chloe caught the look on his face and immediately slipped her arm through mine, her voice turning sweet and coaxing. "Soph, don't blame Vince. This was my idea. I was the one who asked him to do it." "You two stayed together all the time. You deserve some time alone." "Besides, it's just ten hours standing. It's really not a big deal." Vincent pinched her cheek. "You’re such a chatterbox." I cried for days. But in the end, even though I didn't want to, I made myself get on the train. The whole way, the crowd was packed in so tight I could barely breathe. By the time we arrived, my feet ached, then gradually went numb until I could hardly feel them anymore. When I finally stepped off the train, Vincent and Chloe were already ahead of me, walking hand in hand, laughing and talking. I struggled to keep up, but they only got farther and farther away. Eventually, I stopped walking. By then, they'd dwindled to two tiny figures in the distance. This year, I'd learned my lesson. I insisted that we each book our own tickets. Before we did, Chloe suddenly suggested, "Soph had such a hard time standing for ten hours last year. Why don't we all get standing-room tickets this time?" She turned to me with an eager smile. "Come on, Soph. Let's do it together! I've never stood for an entire trip before. I want to see what it's like to stand, too." Vincent agreed without hesitation. I still had my doubts, but eventually, I let myself believe them. I never expected that in the end I'd be the fool who was completely played by the two of them. This time I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. After I canceled the ticket, the Uber confirmation came through fast. [Dear Ms. Carter, your request has been accepted. Please contact your driver shortly. Have a safe trip.] I'd barely finished the canceling when Vincent's message came in. [?] I opened the screenshot he'd sent and looked closely. It was the refund notice. The ticket booking was linked to his number, so now the refund alert had gone to him. Vincent was typing and deleting on his end, like he couldn’t decide what to say. Finally, his messages came through. [Soph, stop being difficult.] [You canceled your ticket. How are you getting home?] [Chloe and I were only messing with you. If you refuse to take the train, she'll be really upset.] I stared at that line and let out a disbelieving scoff. For the first time, I didn't want to reply. I put my phone away and started packing. Not long after, Vincent came home. The second he walked in, I caught a sharp citrus scent. Chloe's signature perfume. For her birthday, Vincent had gone so far as to commission an entire production run of a custom fragrance tailored to her exact taste. It had been made exclusively for her. No one else in the world had the same scent. I frowned and took a step back instinctively. "What's your problem?" Vincent loosened his collar and looked me up and down. " Why did you cancel your ticket all of a sudden? Are you mad at me or something?" He couldn't even be bothered to hear me out. He just let out a mocking laugh and kicked my suitcase aside while passing it. The clothes I'd just folded spilled across the floor. "Don't bother packing." He slipped one hand into his pocket, looking thoroughly amused with himself. "If you're so determined not to stand for ten hours, then just stay here." "It's not like there's anyone waiting for you back home anyway. I'm taking Chloe out, so you can stay here and look after the house." I could tell he was serious, so I didn't argue or cry. I simply nodded.

"Alright, I’ll stay." Vincent looked genuinely surprised. He reached over and ruffled my hair. "That’s my girl. Everything's fine as long as you know how to be reasonable." "Come on. We're going out to eat." Before I could refuse, he grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. In the elevator, he kept his head down, smiling happily as he tapped on his phone. I didn't complain or pick a fight. I simply pulled out my phone and contacted a moving company. Once I'd set up a time, I stepped out of the elevator. Chloe was sitting in the car already, touching up her lipstick. The moment she spotted me, she greeted me with a bright smile. "Soph, there you are." "Honestly, Vince is too much. He was so worried I'd be upset that he insisted on bringing you along to apologize." "It's not like I'm that fragile, you know? I've practically starved waiting for you two." I froze for a second. The numbness I'd been feeling melted away, replaced by a surge of pain and anger. "You brought me here to apologize to Chloe?" Vincent chuckled as if I'd asked the most ridiculous question in the world. He opened the back door and ushered me inside. "Chloe's our best friend. Of course she's going to be upset when you suddenly cancel your train ticket and leave her hanging." "Just apologize, and we can put this whole thing behind us." I sat rigidly in the back seat, refusing to move. He frowned and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "Don't waste time. Don't drag this out." I blinked slowly, and finally forced the words out. "Sorry." Chloe covered her mouth and giggled, then waved a hand in an exaggerated gesture of forgiveness. "Forget it. You're the one missing out by not taking the train with us." "Actually, the timing couldn't be better. My mom's been wanting to meet Vince for ages, so now that you're not coming, we can finally make it happen." My fingers curled hard into my palm. I could feel my heart slowly growing cold. Three years together, and Vincent had never once met my parents. Every time I'd brought it up, he'd claimed he was too busy and told me to wait. Yet somehow, he had time to meet Chloe's mother. Vincent didn't deny it. Instead, he tapped Chloe's nose fondly and handed her a bag of snacks. Then he buckled her seatbelt for her and said gently, "You can have some snacks. We'll be at the restaurant soon." Watching them sit so close that they seemed to have forgotten I was even there, I turned toward the window. My phone buzzed. My mother had texted. [Soph, did you get your ticket?] [Is Vincent coming with you this year? What does he like to eat? I'll go buy it.] My eyes burned. I had to swallow hard to keep from crying. In the end, I typed it out word by word. [Don't bother about him. We're breaking up.] [Mom, I'm coming home on my own.] By the time Vincent parked, Chloe was already out of the car. The two of them walked ahead together without even looking back. I trailed behind them, struggling to keep up. Vincent used to tease me about my small steps. He'd always slow down to match my pace, telling me he wouldn't mind walking behind me for the rest of his life. I believed him back then. Now I knew it had been nothing more than an empty promise. Just like when we'd first met, and he'd always given up his seat for me on the train. He'd promised to save the best of everything for me. But people change overnight. The man who once wouldn't let me tire myself for anything was now, just to win a smile out of Chloe, making me wear myself out on purpose. Maybe it was because I'd stayed quiet, Vincent kept sneaking glances at me. He even handed me the menu and told me to order first. Chloe shot him an irritated glare. "Are we seriously doing this again? Weren't you supposed to take me out to dinner?" "Vince, you're really letting me down!" He chuckled, then immediately turned the menu toward her and handed it over, eager to placate her. "How could I ever let you down? Order whatever you want." Chloe gave a pleased little sniff. "That's more like it." I drew back the hand I'd just reached out and quietly sipped my water.

It wasn't until every dish had arrived that I frowned. "Why is everything spicy?" "You both know I can't eat spicy food." Seeing my displeasure, Vincent instinctively reached for the menu, ready to order something else. But Chloe grabbed his arm at once and shot me a reproachful look. "Soph, it's just a little chili. Why do you have to be so difficult?" "Besides, you need to learn to adapt. You can't expect Vince to keep catering to you forever, especially after you're married, right?" Vincent's hand stilled. He looked at me and set down a plate of spicy pasta in chili oil. Bright red chilies floated on the surface, pungent heat stinging my nose and bringing tears to my eyes. "Just eat it. Stop acting like a baby!" I listened to him blame me and let out a bitter laugh. My voice trembled as I asked, barely believing what I had just heard. "You really want me to eat this?" He said nothing, but his silence was the answer. I picked up my fork with my hand shaking and took a big bite. Tears streamed down my face before I could stop them. When I first met Vincent, I'd been hospitalized for gastritis. The doctor had warned me to stick to a bland diet from then on. After that, Vincent never ordered anything spicy when we ate together. No matter how much he liked spicy food himself, he'd always made sure I could eat everything on the table. I believed he'd truly loved me back then. However, he could give that same love to anyone without a second thought. When I forced down the last bite, my stomach was churning, cramping, and seizing without pause. The pain soaked my forehead in sweat. I clutched my stomach and dropped to the floor. Vincent rushed over in a panic. "Sophie! Are you alright?!" Then he turned to Chloe, his voice urgent. "Call an ambulance! What are you waiting for?!" It wasn't until the paramedics had lifted me onto the stretcher that Chloe finally snapped. "Soph is so dramatic. She eats one bite of something spicy and suddenly she's acting like she's dying." "Who'd want to be stuck with someone who's sick all the time?" Vincent chuckled softly, slipped an arm around her waist, and shot me an impatient glance as he tried to soothe her. "Soph, get yourself checked in. I’ll stay with Chloe." "She’s your best friend. I can’t just leave her there feeling miserable." Watching the two of them stride off, the nurse said enviously. "What a sweet couple. He really loves his girlfriend. You can tell he takes such good care of her." My face was pale, but my voice was steady. "He's my boyfriend." The nurse stared at me in surprise. "For now," I added. "Not for much longer." After I was admitted, Vincent never came to see me once. He went around checking off every trendy restaurant with Chloe. He even changed his profile picture and pinned a photo of the two of them at the top of his social media feed. The day I was discharged, rain came down in sheets. Vincent had promised to pick me up, so I stood shivering in the rain when his message came through. [Sorry, Soph. Chloe wants me to go meet her parents early.] [I'm heading over now. Take care of yourself.] [You’re not going back home for the holidays anyway, so lock up and wait for me to get back.] I opened his profile and stared at the photo of them pressed close together, both beaming at the camera. For the first time, I felt nothing. I wasn't angry or hurt anymore. Without a second thought, I blocked him. My Uber and the moving company were already waiting for me. Once my luggage had been loaded, I climbed into the car and headed home. The scenery changed quickly along the way. So did Vincent and I. Only this time, there was no going back. ... Vincent still hadn't gotten a reply, and he was starting to feel anxious. Before he could dwell on it any longer, Chloe slipped her hand into his. "Vince, my parents are both here. You'd better make a good impression." "Show them what you can do. Don't embarrass me." Vincent smiled softly and nodded. He'd spent fifty thousand dollars hiring an entire fleet of drones. Flowers rained down over the square as a fleet of drones carried a banner across the sky. [To my dearest Chloe. May you always be happy.] People around them murmured in admiration, every voice praising what a perfect match the two of them made. But something in Vincent felt off. Suddenly, he thought of Sophie and how pale she'd looked when she'd left. Chloe noticed his distraction and, visibly annoyed, rose onto her tiptoes to kiss him. "You're here with me right now. So, who are you thinking about?" Vincent snapped out of it and instinctively pushed her away. He grabbed his car keys and turned to go. "I'm going back." "I can't stop worrying about Sophie. I'm bringing her home."