“Actually, can you come to my apartment instead? I really need to talk.”
His response came almost instantly.
“Of course. Is everything okay?”
I looked at Avery’s last message.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, you’re not alone anymore.”
For the first time since all this began, I believed someone truly understood how I felt.
The following evening, Tyler arrived carrying a paper bag.
“You looked stressed yesterday,” he said with his familiar warm smile. “So I brought your favorites.”
He unpacked containers one by one.
Spicy noodles.
Mochi.
My favorite lemon soda.
A week earlier, I would have wrapped my arms around him.
Now every thoughtful gesture felt rehearsed.
Like he’d memorized exactly how to keep me happy.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I said quietly.
“I wanted to.”
I gestured toward the dining table.
“Sit down.”
His smile faded slightly.
“You’re making me nervous.”
“I imagine you know the feeling.”
He frowned.
“What does that mean?”
I unlocked my phone and slid it across the table.
The screen displayed the engagement photo.
For several seconds, Tyler didn’t move.
His face lost every trace of color.
He didn’t look confused.
He looked caught.
“Kim…”
I raised my hand.
“No.”
He closed his mouth.
“I’ve spent four years listening to your explanations. Tonight, you listen.”
Silence filled the apartment.
Finally, I asked the simplest question imaginable.
“Are you engaged?”
His eyes remained fixed on the floor.
“It’s… complicated.”
I laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because I genuinely couldn’t believe he had chosen those words.
“Complicated?”
He looked up.
“I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”
“No?”
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