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Not His First Choice
Novelix
Completed
"At our eight-year anniversary dinner, I ordered a spicy grilled steak. Ethan Cole's face dropped instantly. ""Nora, that's five hundred points off."" ""Did you forget Lily's severely allergic to chili? She could go into anaphylactic shock."" I didn't say a word. Because between us, there was a points app. Ten points for bringing him lunch. Twenty for not being clingy. Fifty for not making a scene when I was sick. A thousand points, and he'd take me on a trip. Three thousand, and he'd break one bad habit. Ten thousand points, and he'd marry me. I'd been saving for eight years. Tonight, I'd planned to tell him I'd finally hit the number. But five hundred points gone, and my balance dropped from ""10,000"" back to ""9,500."" The points he'd docked for another woman—God, this wasn't the first time in eight years. Three hundred off for standing up too slow. Two hundred for being late with a glass of water. She'd mentioned the AC was too cold once, and before I could even move to adjust it, four hundred points were gone. Even tonight, our eight-year anniversary, Ethan had threatened to dock points if I didn't agree to let Lily come along. Ethan wrapped an arm around Lily Cole's shoulder, murmuring softly, ""Don't pout. I'll get you that new bag after this."" He shoved the menu at me. ""Read carefully. I don't want tears later when I deduct more points."" I closed the menu. ""I'm not eating."" I stood up. Ethan frowned. ""Nora, what's your problem now?"" I smiled. ""Nothing. I just don't feel like saving anymore."""
Chapters (3)
第1章
At our eight-year anniversary dinner, I ordered a spicy grilled steak. Ethan Cole's face dropped instantly.
"Nora, that's five hundred points off."
"Did you forget Lily's severely allergic to chili? She could go into anaphylactic shock."
I didn't say a word.
Because between us, there was a points app.
Ten points for bringing him lunch. Twenty for not being clingy. Fifty for not making a scene when I was sick.
A thousand points, and he'd take me on a trip. Three thousand, and he'd break one bad habit.
Ten thousand points, and he'd marry me.
I'd been saving for eight years. Tonight, I'd planned to tell him I'd finally hit the number.
But five hundred points gone, and my balance dropped from "10,000" back to "9,500."
The points he'd docked for another woman—God, this wasn't the first time in eight years.
Three hundred off for standing up too slow. Two hundred for being late with a glass of water.
She'd mentioned the AC was too cold once, and before I could even move to adjust it, four hundred points were gone.
Even tonight, our eight-year anniversary, Ethan had threatened to dock points if I didn't agree to let Lily come along.
Ethan wrapped an arm around Lily Cole's shoulder, murmuring softly, "Don't pout. I'll get you that new bag after this."
He shoved the menu at me. "Read carefully. I don't want tears later when I deduct more points."
I closed the menu. "I'm not eating."
I stood up. Ethan frowned. "Nora, what's your problem now?"
I smiled. "Nothing. I just don't feel like saving anymore."
……
Lily tugged on Ethan's sleeve. "Ethan, don't take off so many. Nora's been saving for eight years."
"She didn't do it on purpose. She just forgot about my allergy."
Ethan caught her wrist. "You know how bad your allergies are. Why didn't she ask before ordering?"
He turned to me, voice going cold. "Rules are rules. If she ends up in the hospital, you paying the bill?"
I stared at the plate of spicy grilled steak on the table.
His favorite.
Every time I came here, I ordered it ahead of time, so it'd be waiting the moment he sat down.
"You don't know why I ordered it?"
Ethan blinked, then let out a scoff. "Lily's here today. Even if I like it, you shouldn't have ordered it."
Ridiculous.
He loved spicy food. He could give it up for Lily, but he'd forgotten every single time my stomach cramped from eating spicy, he hadn't even handed me a glass of water.
He could switch a dinner reservation from Italian to French because Lily said one word.
But in eight years, I'd asked ten times to see the ocean, and he'd always said he was too busy.
Eight years together, and the one he'd bent over backward for was never me.
I sniffed hard. "Ethan, I hit ten thousand points."
The table went dead silent for five full seconds.
Ethan's brow knit tight. "You making up numbers to jerk me around?"
"You made the rules," I said.
"Ten thousand points, and you marry me."
"I was going to tell you tonight. After this dinner, we were going to get married."
"But you took off five hundred."
He lowered his head, scrolling his phone like he'd just heard something mildly amusing. "So what?"
"Just keep saving. You've still got nine thousand five hundred."
I looked him in the eye. "But I don't want to save anymore."
Ethan went quiet for three seconds, then curled his lip. "Nora, what are you performing? Playing the victim doesn't work on me."
"When you were down to three thousand points, you didn't pull this act."
I bit down hard, forcing the tears back.
"Then what about Lily? Why is it that when she wants to eat at some restaurant that's impossible to book, you're on the phone pulling strings a second later?"
"Why is it when she says she's cold at midnight, you drive halfway across the city to bring her a blanket?"
"Why is it when she wants to watch the sunrise, you're up at five to hike to the top with her?"
"But for me? I have to save a thousand points, three thousand, ten thousand—just for one of those?"
I threw the questions at him one after another.
Ethan's expression went from careless to hard.
"Enough. What does this have to do with her?"
"We grew up together. We're best friends. It's normal to be close."
"Which childhood best friend leans on someone else's boyfriend, wears his jacket, wears a ring he bought her?"
Right on cue, Lily stood up, eyes red. "Ethan, Nora—I overstepped. I'll go—"
Ethan grabbed her arm. "Sit down."
Rain sheeted down outside the glass door. He softened his voice. "It's pouring. Where are you going to go?"
I looked at them for two seconds, then picked up my bag.
"Nora!"
He called my name, then let out a cold laugh. "Fine. If you've actually got a backbone, walk out and don't come back. Don't be like last time, crawling back to apologize in less than two days."
第2章
In the cab, I opened the points app.
Every single change, logged in neat little rows.
【Brought lunch +10】
【Didn't complain about forgotten birthday +50】
【Upset Lily -100】
Every point was a piece of me I'd swallowed down.
He never knew—every day I'd been saving, I'd been picturing his face on the day I hit ten thousand.
Would he be shocked? Would he regret it? Would he drop to one knee in front of everyone and say, "Nora, I'm sorry for making you wait so long"?
My nails dug into my palm. The pain snapped me back.
I got back to the apartment and started packing.
His shirts and my dresses hung together in the closet. I pulled them out one by one and dropped them into my suitcase.
When I got to the desk, his computer was still on.
A folder on the screen was labeled "Receipts."
I clicked.
My birthday gift—a necklace. Four hundred fifty dollars.
Same day, Lily got a bracelet from the same brand. Four thousand five hundred.
The weekend trip I'd cashed in three thousand points for—B&B, one twenty a night.
That same week, Lily had posted a picture from a floor-to-ceiling window at a five-star hotel. Same city.
I kept scrolling.
Eight years.
Everything he ever bought me—for Lily, it was always more expensive, better, more thoughtful.
At the bottom, a note: 【Promised her I'd always put her first, even if I got a girlfriend.】
I stared at the screen. A dull ache pressed into my chest. I wanted to cry and couldn't. Eight years of hoping, shattered into a spreadsheet.
I closed the laptop and dragged my suitcase to the living room.
Right in the center of the TV console sat that photo of the three of us—the only one in eight years where I was in the middle.
In it, I was smiling small, lips pressed together, eyes bright.
Back then, I thought I'd finally been let in.
I took the frame down, slid the photo out, and dropped it in the trash.
The lock clicked at the entryway.
Lily came in first, kicking off her shoes like she lived here.
"Hey Nora, you're still up? I had a fight at home. Gonna crash here a few days."
Ethan came in behind her, hanging up her coat without a word.
"She'll take the guest room. That okay with you?"
Before, I would've said "sure," then lain awake at night listening to them watching movies in the living room, their laughter leaking under the door.
If I made a fuss, he'd threaten to take off a hundred points, and I'd shut up.
But now I didn't care about points anymore.
I looked up at Ethan. "You're asking me if it's okay? Eight years. Every time she comes over, did you ever ask me once?"
I turned to Lily. "You had nowhere to go, so you came to my place again? You know he has a girlfriend, right?"
Lily's face went white. She said nothing.
Ethan frowned. "She had nowhere else—"
"Then move out and live with her!"
Ethan froze for a second, then scoffed. "You even hearing yourself?"
Lily's eyes filled up. "It's fine, I'll just get a hotel. Don't fight because of me—"
"Oh, so you know it's because of you! Eight years. Nicely put, no boundaries. Not nicely put, you're the other woman!"
Ethan's face dropped. His voice came out hot. "Apologize to her."
"Why the hell should I?"
He lowered his voice. "Nora. If you don't apologize, that's two thousand points."
I stared into his eyes and suddenly laughed out loud. "Take them. Take whatever you want."
I grabbed my suitcase and started for the door.
He caught my arm. When I looked down, I saw the ring on his finger.
A thin silver band. Identical to the one Lily wore.
And my ring finger had been bare for eight years, waiting for him.
I lifted my hand, held my empty ring finger up in front of his face.
"Ethan. I waited eight years."
"And what did I get? You and her wearing matching rings. A folder on your computer about her, where you promised you'd always put her first!"
Ethan's face went white. "You went through my computer?"
He drew a sharp breath. "I promised her. The year her parents divorced, she was scared and alone. I told her she'd never be by herself. That has nothing to do with love, it's just—"
"Just what? Just that I deserved second place?"
"Ethan, I'm done waiting!"
I lifted my hand and slapped him across the face.
The crack echoed. His head turned, cheek slowly reddening. He looked at me like he couldn't believe it.
I didn't look twice. I dragged my suitcase out the door and into the rain.
第3章
The next day, after work, Ethan was waiting outside my office.
He had a huge bouquet of red roses in his arms, petals still beaded with water.
"Nora."
He came over and pushed the flowers into my arms.
The bouquet was heavy. My arm sagged under it.
"Last night was my fault."
He looked away, voice tight, like apologizing didn't fit right in his mouth. "I put the points back. Tomorrow, I'll take care of everything."
I stood there holding the burning-red roses, watching the tips of his ears turn faintly pink.
He rarely apologized. Getting those words out was already his limit.
"Take care of what?"
He didn't answer. He just reached out and wiped a raindrop off my cheek.
"You'll see tomorrow. Just be ready."
That look in his eyes—the one he only got when he was cooking up a surprise. Smug and soft at the same time.
He was going to propose.
Eight years. This was what I'd wanted most. But now that it was finally happening, all I could think about were the points, the ones he'd docked for Lily, over and over, until I couldn't breathe.
"So after we get married—we still playing the points game?" I asked suddenly.
Ethan blinked, then smiled. "No. Once we're married, what's there to save?"
"And Lily?"
I watched him steadily. All those nights she'd taken from me, the dates she'd canceled, the points he'd stripped away—would marriage make those disappear?
Or would it just get a new name?
He opened his mouth to answer. His phone rang.
He picked up, and his voice shifted instantly. "Don't stress. When have I ever stood you up? On my way."
He hung up and turned to me. "Lily and I are doing track day. If I'm late, she'll be pissed."
"Ethan."
"Are you always going to choose her?"
He stopped, back to me.
"Stop it. Grab an umbrella from the convenience store. It's about to rain."
He yanked the car door open. The engine roared.
The rain came, just like he said. Cold needles on my face.
I stood in the rain holding the roses.
The paper wrapping soaked through fast. Petals dropped, one by one.
I looked down and saw a card tucked inside the bouquet.
Gold cursive lettering, embossed on white:
"For my Lily—forever bright and lovely."
These were Lily's flowers.
His usual florist. Her name was the default note on file.
He'd ordered flowers for Lily hundreds of times.
He'd never once changed the note.
My phone buzzed.
Lily had sent a screenshot. My points dashboard.
She'd circled row after row of deductions.
【Nora, you really thought he was the one taking those points off? I logged into his account and did it myself.】
【Also, today he only came to make up because I told him to. Don't read too much into it.】
Another message popped up.
【Sis, points aren't the only gift I've got for you.】
I stared at the screen and doubled over laughing.
Eight years. I'd saved points, I'd bitten my tongue, I'd walked on eggshells around him. And she'd been the one taking them away.
The flowers. The card. Every last deduction.
Each one was telling me the same thing: the past eight years were a joke.
I dumped the bouquet, card and all, into the trash can on the corner.
