"Wait up,

" Conrad said, getting up swiftly., Now, he seemed to be at my beck and call, always ready to step in even when I hadn't asked., If he had been like this before, perhaps we wouldn't have reached the point of breaking up., But there are no ifs in this world, and I don't want to dwell on what's been missed., I looked away from him, my gaze accidentally landing on his phone. I saw a paused video of myself from three years ago., But what I did back then or why that video was taken, I had no clue., I wanted to take a closer look, but it felt inappropriate. In the midst of my hesitation, Conrad returned with a glass of water., He noticed I'd seen his phone but didn't show any embarrassment, just smiled naturally.

"I was going through some old photos and videos while you were asleep. You look even better now than you did back then.

", After taking a sip of water, I joined in the teasing,

"Oh, so you've always thought I wasn't pretty enough, and that's why...

",

"Stop right there,

" he cut me off,

"Let's not talk about him anymore.

", The water soothed my throat considerably.,

"Have you completely cut off things with Haley?

" I asked, taking a bite of a crisp, sweet and sour pickle that refreshed my palate instantly., Conrad picked up his phone again, ignoring my question. I didn't press further and focused on enjoying my meal., When I was almost done eating, Conrad finally spoke up.

"Yeah, it's over. Completely over.

", Remembering the harsh words Haley had left me with, I knew it wasn't that simple. But since Conrad put it that way, I just hummed in acknowledgment and went back to my food.,

"Wait a sec,

" Conrad said, pausing me. He reached over and wiped a smudge of grease from the corner of my mouth.

"You had a little something there.

", I pursed my lips.

"Next time, just remind me.

", He paused, then agreed,

"Sure, but sometimes it's an instinct. You act before you think.

", Yeah, after ten years together, some habits are hard to break. Like how he used to check my forehead for fever, something I'd forgotten to dodge., I continued eating, when suddenly, a, family member from the bed across came in, saying,

"There was this guy loitering outside our room, holding a lunch box. Wonder what he was up to , swne, I paused mid-bite, instinctively glancing towards the door, but it was empty., The family member continued,

"I thought he was up to no good, so I followed him quietly. And guess what? He threw the lunch box in the bin.

", I couldn't eat anymore,

"Which bin did he throw it into?

", The family member looked startled by my question, then awkwardly held up a lunch box., I walked over, took the box, and, opened it Inside were three layers: a spicy salad, a bowl of wild, e and, dates porridge, and minced meat rolls. , All my favorites, especially the spicy salad, which was different from the bland version Conrad would bring Back at the Wagners, I never used chili because none of them liked spicy food. But with Ernest, b stopped holding back. , Seeing these dishes brought a bitter taste to my mouth., He had broken up with me, hadn't even glanced my way when I nearly drowned, and now he was here with this food. What was he trying to do?, And why leave the food without seeing me? What was going through his mind?, With a turmoil of questions stirring inside me, I looked at the person with the lunch box,

"Where is he?

",

"He's gone...

", Conrad approached, eyeing me,

"Are you going to chase after him?

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