Eleven Years of Misplaced Love

At a time in my life when I was least prepared for upheaval, he gre

oked at him quietly. "You want to break up with me

icion, completely forgetting his pa

ssed, and Jeffrey still

ly heartbroken, when he sud

s. A salesperson quickly approached me, asking, "Miss, are you lookin

across the glass at the two people.

the way, chatting and laughing. Though they maintained a proper

I judge by their attire that they must be colleagues. Maybe they both coincident

instinctively retorted

ing the idea that they were colleagues or th

heart that

I was about to le

er again, and she was on

patiently refused, claiming he was too tired from working late the night before

on was often shar

nd eleven years of once passionate love now red

lines on our palms, and any change i

overtime, yet he seemed unusuall

reply to my messages

d me off with a tired excuse and went to shower, le

s phone rang. Jeffrey urgentl

entially causing him to lose his job, saying if I wante

voice tense, as if nervous. "Don't worry, whatever it

covered in soap suds, he typed a reply to the other party, then placed t

ng. Even if he was in the shower, he would reply to my messages with soapy

g the same, only it w

"Yesterday, you said you were too tired to reply to me. No

quit your job, so you probably don't understand. I have to be vigilant now. I'm i

ighteousness lef

my abilities were no less than his. It was he who asked me to qui

ing my job would become a

foolish. I clearly heard a girl's v

ht a glimpse of the chat wallpaper, which was

speech

called Jeffrey, testing

as if scolding him, poking his chest. Her youthf

would only come across as forceful and pre

nd unhesitatingly put his

y answered impatiently, "Let's talk about the house later. I'm work

er side, "Hello, Jennifer. Mr. Gibson might be late after the meeting. I ha

to stake her claim

utiously moving the phone away as i

fearless, "I left the lipstick you gave me in the car yesterday.

at Laura was reminding me she had

ive. Last month on Valentine's Day, I was shocked to find

r a house, and our earnings barely covered the small necessities

I waited from dawn till dusk on Valentine's Da

lleague who asked him to buy it for his girlfriend. At that time, Jeffrey was r

estion him, after all, Jeffrey cla

ey just didn't want t

headed straight to the u

hout his car, but today I speci

r for a long time, trying to figure out when their re

people with boundaries, never crossing lines

earing in the footage

to view a house, and he declined, citing lack of

and Laura, with a hint of guilt and deligh

rey's heart flutter with joy, and he wasn't

kled, "It's

turned cold a

des, I am with you around. But it's you who are making too big a deal out of it. Didn't Jennif

e fell silent

ot the right time yet. I want to wa

ing meaningfully, "Jennifer has planned well for yo

you who has your own career. But buying a car, a house, and settling in a big city isn't easy. I'm in the prim

st into l

imly lit garage for wha

a together at the real estate

nd I squeezed into a tiny rental, supporting each other. In m

y heart, and Jeffrey was wel

, but how many eleven ye

d with annoyance and impatience. In recent years, Jeffrey's a

me with such malice, as if

stone of maturity, but Jeffrey and another woman were a

When I mentioned these promises, in Jeffrey's

idicu

endure it ti

called and asked, "I've found a house I like. Wha

slightly. What if Jeffrey really was planning a s

ecided to give Jeff

ld have a warm beige tone, so when friends visit, it f

npleasantness, allowing me to pretend the past elev

int, self-deprecating s

fer, not what you like now, but the design you

excitement was dous

d multiple times since we first talked about buying a house,

ted, but rather what women in general might

re quite immat

seven or eight years ago is covered in dust. Why not a

I was usually considerate and rare