Downfall of a Nice Guy

I knew James was wavering, but I couldn't break up with him. To

he went, nor did I want to know. The night felt especially lo

th breakfast. He acted like the perfect boyfriend, d

t I couldn't bring myself to get angry with him. Whenever I did, James wou

ress my anger. Even if I was dissa

ne, couldn't bear the pitying looks from those around

k. We were the model couple in the eyes of our classmates, the good match our pa

was an unbridgeable ga

m using emojis I had never seen before, saw him joki

mputer in college, the one who apologized to me in front of our classmates

efore and was bound to recur. If my intuition served me right, he'd vanish into the ether for a time, seeking solitude to untangle the knots of his emotions. When he finally resurfaced, it would be

ndulgent, unconditiona

t me long ago. But I couldn't let James leave because I was still in pain,

and gnawing at my composure. This was unprecedented; never before had he been away for such an extended stretch. My thoughts, a chaotic maelstrom of worry and speculation, drove me to act on impulse. In a desperate

The room was filled with an unfamiliar scent of perfume.

the strong lavender scent overw

Come and try it," a girl's voice called

not stepping inside. There w

ut of the kitchen. When she saw me standing

sitantly. I recognized he

angs now replaced by lazy curls. She wore James's loungewear and the a