Chapter 3

2.

Back in my room, my phone buzzed. It was my boss, Rick.

"Leon, about that transfer to Seattle. Are you sure about this?"

"I've been holding that position for you, but you turned it down because of Gia before. I want to make sure you aren't just acting on impulse."

I rubbed my temples. "I've thought it through, Rick."

"I'm moving to Seattle."

Rick sounded relieved. "With your talent, staying here is a waste. Seattle is where the real growth is."

I listened to him talk about the future, but I felt nothing.

A year ago, when the branch opened, he offered me the Director position.

It was a huge raise and a massive promotion.

I wanted it, but I thought of Gia and hesitated.

Gia's parents divorced because her dad worked away from home.

When she first moved in next door to me as a kid, she was tiny and scruffy.

Her dad was never around. Her stepmother treated her like garbage.

I used to hear the screaming matches through the walls.

One day, I saw her chewing on a piece of stale bread while staring at my hot lunch.

"Want some?" I asked.

She flinched and looked down. "No, I'm not hungry."

She was clearly starving but too proud to say it. It annoyed me.

"I can't finish it. Help me out," I said, shoving my burger into her hands.

She took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

"It's so good!" she smiled, her face covered in crumbs.

After that, I always had "leftovers" for her.

Watching her eat made me feel a strange sense of peace.

She was like a stray kitten I had taken in.

Then, in high school, her mom showed up and took her away.

We lost touch until junior year of college.

She was standing under the trees on campus, looking more beautiful than ever.

"Leon, long time no see."

I felt like the air had been knocked out of me.

She was still the girl who had been carved into my soul.

"What, you don't recognize me?" she laughed, stepping closer.

Before I could speak, she threw her arms around me.

"Leon, do you want to be my boyfriend?"

Her voice was soft, but it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"Yes," I blurted out.

My face turned red immediately. I felt like a loser for folding so fast.

She laughed, seeing right through me. "Don't want to? I can go find someone else."

"No, I just…" I couldn't even finish a sentence.

"I'm kidding. You're so cute when you're nervous."

I knew she was playing with me, but I didn't care.

We dated. We got married. It felt like a dream.

When I told her about the job offer in Seattle, she sobbed in my arms.

"Leon, are you going to leave me too?"

Her voice was like a needle to my heart.

I caved. I knew she had abandonment issues.

I wanted to give her a real home, something she never had.

I didn't realize that in the end, I'd be the one left behind.

I clicked on her Instagram, but it was blank.

She had blocked me from seeing her posts.

She used to share every little thing with me―a flower, a stray cat, anything.

She said she wanted me to feel her presence every second.

Now, she had locked me out of her world.

I tossed my phone aside and closed my eyes.