Chapter 1

The news said a massive hurricane would make landfall in Maisonet Bay by six that evening.

By four o'clock, coworkers were already packing up to leave. The subways and buses had stopped running. Anyone with a car offered to give the carless a ride home.

When someone asked if I needed one, I smiled and turned them down. "Thanks, but I'm good. My girlfriend's picking me up."

They laughed and teased me about how nice it must be to have someone.

At five, the wind outside picked up. I called Melanie Hayman, but she didn't answer. Our last messages were from an hour ago, when she'd said she was "almost there." I figured traffic must be bad and left it at that.

By five thirty, the rain was coming down in sheets. I was the only one left in the office. The bulb overhead flickered, then went out with a pop.

I dialed Melanie's number again in the dark. This time someone picked up, but it wasn't her voice.

"Ryan?"

I froze. "Where's Melanie?"

"Mel's driving. She can't really talk right now."

Chapter 1

Ryan's POV

"Where are you?" I asked.

"On the way to my place. Mel said it wasn't safe for me to go home alone," came the reply. "Oh, and she said she texted you half an hour ago telling you to grab a cab home on your own. Ryan, you're probably home by now, right?"

The wind howled outside the window. My chest went cold, inch by inch.

For three years, Melanie had poured every ounce of care she had into this coworker of hers. And now, the last scrap of feeling I had left for her had burned out completely.

"Yeah," I said. "I'm home."

A home that would never have her in it again.

The man on the phone sounded relieved. "Good, you're home. We'll be there soon too.

"The hurricane's about to make landfall, though. Mel wanted me to let you know she'll probably be staying over at my place tonight."

I gave a flat, noncommittal "hm."

A woman's voice came through from somewhere in the background, distant but unmistakably tender. "Are you cold? Should I turn up the heat?"

Ted Rooney laughed. "It's summer!"

Right. It was summer.

But I felt cold clear through, a chill that reached into my bones.

The call ended. I stared at our chat log. There was no message telling me to grab a cab home. Maybe she really had sent one and it just hadn't gone through. Either way, it meant that after typing it, she hadn't so much as glanced back at our conversation.

She used to be different. When we first started dating, she was glued to her phone every waking minute she wasn't in class or asleep. She'd text me about the smallest things, even a stray dog barking at her on the sidewalk.

And she always replied to me within seconds. She used to say she couldn't stand missing a single message from me, that she was afraid she wouldn't know right away if I ran into trouble.

Now, someone else was the one she worried about.

Something bitter crept up from the deepest part of my chest. The wind howling outside felt like a hand closing around my heart, squeezing it again and again.

At six, the hurricane made landfall. And I was stuck alone at the office.

I went into the break room and shut the door tight, then texted my parents, who were in another city, to let them know I was fine.

They asked: [You're with Mel, right?]

I thought about it for a second, then just answered: [Yeah.]

The phone screen went dark, and the room fell back into blackness. It was quiet enough to hear nothing but the wind and rain outside.

Then the screen lit up again, and my heart jumped. I grabbed it almost without thinking.

But a second later, my hope fell flat. It was just an emergency alert from the city. The last line read: [Please stay indoors with your family and stay safe. The storm may be severe, but we'll get through it together.]

On social media, everyone was going on about how strong the storm was while posting photos of their dinner.

My stomach growled. I realized I hadn't eaten a thing all evening. I dug up a bag of crackers in the break room and ate them while scrolling through the food photos on my feed.

Then my thumb stopped on a familiar profile picture with a caption that said: [My coworker's cooking is so good, it's ruining my appetite for anything else.]

The photo showed a spread I recognized well: roast chicken, glazed carrots, and a pot of tomato soup—Melanie Hayman's specialty. In the shot, only her hand showed, two fingers thrown up in a peace sign.

She used to tell me that in her whole life, the only people she'd ever cook for were her parents and me. Turns out her "whole life" had an expiration date after all.

I liked the post, then left a comment underneath.

[Maybe you should just make her your girlfriend.]

A minute later, a message from Melanie came through.

[Ryan, do you think that's funny?]

Funny? Was what they were doing not a whole lot funnier than that?

She'd opened our chat, but she hadn't noticed the message that never sent. She hadn't asked where I was either.

My fingers tightened around the phone. I was just about to tell her I'd never left, that I was alone at the office right now, when a violent crashing sound tore through the air outside.

Chapter 2

I flinched and looked through the slats of the break room blinds. A huge section of the floor-to-ceiling window outside had shattered. Wind howled through the gap.

Something flew through the hole and slammed hard into the break room door. I snapped out of my daze and shoved the couch against it.

My mind went blank. When I came back to myself, I'd already dialed Melanie's number. The phone rang for almost half a minute before she picked up.

Before I could even speak, she said, rushed, "Ryan, hang on, I'm a little busy right now..."

I forced down the panic and said, my voice hoarse, "Mel, I'm at the office. The window out here just shattered. I..."

It took her a while to respond. "What window? The one in the living room? Just go wait in the bedroom, you'll be fine. I'll get someone to fix it tomorrow..."

I could hear the faint sound effects of a video game in the background. A second later, Ted whooped loudly, "Ha! I won again!"

Melanie sighed, indulgent. "Fine, fine, I lost. A bet's a bet. I'll treat you to dinner next time."

"Aw, why wait? How about tomorrow?"

"Okay, okay..."

Every word I'd been about to say caught in my throat.

That was the moment I finally understood, completely. Seven years of feelings between Melanie and me had lost out to a coworker she'd known for three.

The first time she'd mentioned Ted to me, three years ago, her voice had been nothing but exasperated. He'd started at the company the same day she did, and their manager had put them on the same team.

She said he'd messed up the data and made her work two extra nights fixing it. She said he'd spilled coffee on himself and ruined his favorite jacket. For a long stretch after that, she never mentioned him without sighing.

Later, their department brought me along to a team dinner, and I saw him for the first time. He was a year younger than us, fair-skinned, with a boyish, round face.

Melanie introduced me.

I remember feeling a little uneasy about the way Melanie looked at him that day. I understand now. That was fondness.

Later, I asked Melanie to come with me to an art exhibit on the weekend. She said Ted's computer had crashed and she needed to go fix it. When I went quiet, she explained that all their team's files were on that computer.

I mentioned a good mystery movie that had just come out and asked if she wanted to go see it. She hesitated, then told me she'd already seen it with Ted. The company had handed out free tickets, and their whole department had gone together.

Except I found out later that the two of them had picked seats in the very back corner, away from everyone else.

After that, she started driving him home whenever it rained. She remembered his favorite clothing brands. She knew he didn't eat onions or garlic and would tell the waiter ahead of time.

I saw it all happening and finally asked her, "Melanie, do you have feelings for Ted?"

She blinked, then laughed. "How could I possibly like that little idiot? I'm just helping out where I can, as a coworker."

Little idiot. What an affectionate thing to call him.

And what she'd actually been doing for him had gone far past "where she could."

I don't know when exactly I fell asleep. All I know is it felt like one long, exhausting dream. When I woke, it was already morning. The wind and rain had stopped, and the street outside was noisy again. At least the dream, whatever it had been, was finally over.

I went home, showered, and changed. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Melanie happened to be coming through the front door. She looked relieved to see me. "Nothing happened last night, right? The window..."

She glanced at the living room window. It was fine, untouched. She paused.

"I must've had a nightmare," I said flatly.

She nodded.

As I headed for the door again, she suddenly called out to stop me. She looked hesitant, but she said it anyway. "Ryan, could we push back dinner with your parents next Wednesday..."

I looked at her, expressionless. "Why?"

Her tone turned pained, like she felt for him. "Next Wednesday's the anniversary of Ted's mom's passing. His dad's overseas and can't make it back. It'd be sad for him to go through it alone."

My fist clenched. I fought to keep my voice even.

"This is the fourth time you've canceled on me. And my parents already bought their plane tickets..."

She cut me off, her tone turning petulant. "So you want me to just do nothing? We're coworkers."

'We're together. We're a couple.' I didn't say it out loud.

I hadn't slept well the night before, and my temples throbbed. I rubbed them and said, with no feeling left in my voice, "Fine. Go."

Her face lit up. "I knew you'd understand. Don't worry, next time I'll definitely come meet your mom and dad in person."

Her phone rang, a familiar tone, and she snatched it up and hurried toward the bedroom. "Ryan said yes. Next Wednesday, I'll be there with you..."

I sent my mother a message instead.

[Mom, remember how you never really liked Melanie, and you kept saying you wanted to introduce me to your friend's daughter, the one who's supposedly so accomplished and pretty? Let's set it up for next Wednesday.]

Chapter 3

By the time I got to the office, workers were already repairing the window. My coworkers were still shaken.

"God, thank goodness we left early yesterday. Can you imagine if we'd still been here?"

One of them spotted me and gave a little wave. "Ryan, your girlfriend came to pick you up yesterday, right?"

I smiled. "Nope. She was busy driving a coworker home."

The office went quiet.

Someone asked carefully, "So you took a cab home by yourself?"

"I spent the night in the break room."

Everyone seemed to hold their breath. After a long moment, a coworker patted my shoulder, comforting. "Ryan, you're so strong."

I didn't see why I shouldn't just say it plainly. After all, I wasn't the one who'd done anything wrong.

Near the end of the workday, a message came in from Melanie.

[I'm outside your building.]

I paused. It had been nearly a year since she'd last come to pick me up after work. Even the times she promised to, she'd usually end up bailing because of something to do with Ted.

I went downstairs and, sure enough, found her car waiting. I walked straight up, and just as my hand reached for the passenger door handle, the window rolled down, revealing Ted's round, boyish face.

"Hey there, Ryan."

From the driver's seat, Melanie explained, "Ted said there's a new fondue place near your office that's supposed to be really good. I already made a reservation. Want to come?"

I looked at her, my voice light and even. "Melanie, I can't eat rich, heavy food."

She blinked, and a flicker of embarrassment crossed her face. In the end, the two of them left without me.

She hadn't come to pick me up at all. She'd just happened to remember I existed. She'd even forgotten I couldn't eat rich, heavy food.

There was a time she used to carefully pick every last piece of cheese off my plate, piece by piece, just because she'd forgotten to tell the waiter to go light on the cheese for me.

Something sour rose in my chest, but reason smoothed it over quickly enough.

I was ready to bring up breaking up with her when she suddenly got mysterious, saying there was a big event on Saturday and telling me to get there early.

I paused. Saturday was our seventh anniversary. So she still remembered, after all.

I didn't know what she had planned, but I decided I'd end things that day regardless.

Melanie told me to arrive at ten. Traffic held me up, though, and I didn't get there until ten thirty.

Walking toward the private room, old memories surfaced. For our anniversaries, she used to rack her brain for surprises.

She once arranged candles to spell out the date we first met. She secretly learned guitar just to play and sing a song I'd once mentioned in passing. She put together a photo album of every memory we'd shared.

But starting three years ago, our anniversary had been cut short every single year. Three years ago, Ted got sick, and she said there'd be plenty more anniversaries, but Ted lying alone in a hospital bed was just too pitiful.

Two years ago, Ted cut his hand chopping vegetables, and she dropped the half-finished cake she was making to rush to his side. Last year, Ted got drunk at a bar, and she said she was only taking him home, then didn't come back all night.

This time, I didn't expect much. I only wanted to make it through one whole meal and finally say what I needed to say.

The door opened.

Bang!

Confetti burst into the air and rained down over my face. The room was full of people, none of whose faces I recognized.

Everyone froze when they saw it was me.

"Huh, that's not Ted."

"Didn't you say his footsteps sounded just like Ted's?"

"Quick, clean it up! He's got to be next!"

I stood there, dazed, until Melanie pulled me aside and shoved a confetti popper into my hand.

"Didn't I tell you to get here early? Come on, turn this way, Ted's about to walk in."

It took me a long moment to find my voice. It was almost too absurd not to laugh.

I looked at her and asked, "What exactly is going on here?"

Chapter 4

Melanie's eyes stayed fixed on the door. "Forgot to mention, that project Ted landed went through, and management's about to promote him. This is his celebration party."

Melanie's attention was elsewhere. She didn't notice how cold my voice had gotten.

"Right, and you always complain that I never bring you along when I hang out with coworkers, so I figured this time I'd invite you."

"Melanie, do you remember what today is?"

She looked at me, blank.

I smiled and nodded, then said, "Melanie, let's break up."

Bang!

"Congratulations to Ted on the promotion!"

The confetti poppers and cheers drowned out my voice completely. Melanie had already rushed over to Ted and thrown her arms around him.

I curled my lips in a mocking half-smile and walked out.

I opened my phone and found a message my mother had sent half an hour earlier.

[Your dad and I are boarding the plane. Ryan, as long as you're ready to move on, I'll finally be able to stop worrying.]

The girl happened to be in Maisonet Bay too, and Mom said she'd already agreed to have dinner together Wednesday night. I replied with a simple "okay" and headed for the airport.

The next day, I planned to show my parents around Maisonet Bay. We'd barely finished touring one sight when Melanie called. She sounded frantic, asking where I was. I didn't want to deal with her, but she sounded like something serious had happened, so I finally sent my location.

Before long she showed up in a rush, and Ted, of all people, was right behind her. She froze when she saw my parents standing there, then pulled me aside and hissed under her breath, "What's going on? I told you I was spending Wednesday with Ted, that I didn't have time for dinner with your mom and dad."

I gave her a flat look. "If you're not free, can't I invite someone else?"

She took that as me just venting and brushed it off. She pulled out her phone, opened a post, and pointed at a comment. "Ryan, this comment is yours, isn't it?"

The post had several photos, all from the private room the night before. In the first, Melanie had her arms around Ted. In the second, she was smearing cake on his face. In the third, their heads were pressed together.

It was posted from Ted's account, captioned: [Celebrating with a coworker, what a great day.]

Plenty of other coworkers had been there celebrating with him too, and yet he'd only posted the photo of himself with Melanie. His little agenda wasn't exactly subtle.

I let out a short laugh and looked at the comment she was pointing to.

[Not to be that person, but this "coworker" has a boyfriend, in case anyone was wondering.]

Below it was a photo of Melanie and me together. No wonder she assumed I'd written it.

Melanie stared hard at me. "Ted's account is getting buried in comments right now; people are attacking him. If this blows up, it's going to hurt him."

"You need to reply under it right now saying it was you, that you were there too, that we're all just good friends."

"And if I say no?"

She froze, then said, low, "Ryan, you never used to be like this."

The look she gave me carried a note of disappointment, like I was the one who'd done something wrong.

But she was the one who'd actually done something wrong.

Before I could speak again, Ted suddenly broke down, his voice cracking. "I'm really not the other guy here... if management sees this post, my promotion is dead in the water!"

My parents stood a short distance away, watching us with concern, clearly confused about what was happening.

Melanie suddenly gritted her teeth. "Ryan, if you won't do it, I'll go ask your mom and dad for help myself."

She turned to go. I called out to stop her, my voice cold.

I really didn't want them worrying about me any more than they already were.

"I'll post it."

I opened the post and typed a reply.

[This is me. I've broken up with the girl in these photos. Whatever they do together has nothing to do with me anymore.]

Melanie frowned slightly. "Even to clear things up, you didn't have to say it like that."

Still, with the matter resolved, her expression finally eased. She looked at me, grateful. "Ryan, I knew you still had a good heart. For dinner tomorrow, I'll make sure to get there in time for your mom and dad."

I said nothing. She took my silence as agreement, then pulled Ted along and left.

The next day, dinner was set for six. At seven, Melanie said she'd just dropped Ted off at home and was on her way. At eight, she said Ted's stomach was acting up and she'd gone to get him medicine, so she'd be a little late.

At nine, hurried footsteps sounded outside the private room. A second later, the door swung open, and Melanie walked in loaded down with bags.

"Mr. and Mrs. Jonas, I'm so sorry I'm late..."

But the moment she saw what was waiting inside the room, the smile froze on her face.