I never expected we'd meet again in such a coincidence.
I pulled back from my memories, forcing myself not to dwell on the past.
What's done is done. I had a new relationship now. As for my ex-boyfriend—best to pretend I hadn't seen him.
I had a class that evening, so I arranged to meet Alex for dinner at the cafeteria.
But I didn't expect Ryan to show up too, his black hoodie displaying that silver star necklace as he casually sat down next to us.
I frowned.
"Can't you sit somewhere else?"
Ryan snorted. "What, does your family own the cafeteria? I'll sit wherever I want."
Alex, unaware of our history, tried to smooth things over.
"Haley, don't mind him. Ryan just has a sharp tongue, but he's actually a decent guy."
"He's an exchange student from Tremont, staying here for a year. Hey, you two are even from the same hometown, right?"
Ryan and I exchanged a glance. He rolled his eyes, and I looked away.
Alex kept trying to ease the tension, telling me about his day.
"On my way out, I ran into that 'cow senior' we've been feeding. He's gained so much weight."
Like Ryan, Alex came from a wealthy family, but he had better manners and a more stable temperament.
We met during a sophomore year club activity where he was president and I was vice president. After several interactions, we quickly discovered we had many common interests and always had something to talk about.
Naturally, when he confessed, I accepted.
While first loves leave a strong impression, life isn't a novel. I couldn't love just one person forever. Life had to move forward.
"Really? Let's find time to get him neutered. I keep seeing him harassing the female cats," I laughed.
Ryan scoffed.
Alex froze.
I opened my mouth to speak, then stopped.
When we were together, Ryan would always eat my leftovers like this.
Teenage boys have big appetites, and I ate little. He was too lazy to get another serving, so he'd simply finish my food, never once complaining.
I never thought he'd still have this habit.
Ryan's movements halted, and he stiffly kept his head down.
After an awkward silence, Ryan suddenly stood up and left without a word.
Moments later, I received a text from an unknown number:
【What I meant was, your taste in men isn't great.】

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