Chapter 5

The bedroom floor was a mess. After taking his medicine, Ashton moved his things to the guest room. Passing by the shattered glass on the floor, he paused and bent down to pick up a photo. It was the only—and last photo—he had with Claire. The last time he had packed, he hadn't decided what to do with it. That was until Curtis made the choice for him. Ashton curled his lips slightly, tore the photo into pieces, and casually tossed them into the trash. That night, Claire didn't return. At 5:00 am the next day, Ashton was woken by sounds coming from the kitchen. When Claire saw him rubbing his sleepy eyes, guilt flashed across her face. "Did I wake you? Curt didn't eat much last night, so I made him some chowder. You should also have some." Ashton silently stared at the chowder bubbling in the pot. Although Curtis had been gone for years, Claire still remembered all his likes and dislikes. Meanwhile, he had lived alongside her for six years, only for her to forget his shellfish allergy once again, even after the ordeal last night. Truthfully, he hadn't known she could cook until last night. Sometimes, if one looked hard enough, it was possible to tell whether love was real. "I'm not hungry. You don't have to save any for me," he said softly, then turned toward the guest room. Suddenly, Claire piped up, "Ash, I admit I was harsh and reckless in my words last night when I panicked at the sight of Curt's injury. Can you not take things to heart and—" Ashton nodded calmly. "Yeah. Things were crazy last night, and I totally understand." She didn't expect him to be so forgiving. Her guilt only deepened when she spotted his lowered gaze. "It's been a while since we went on a date. Once I'm done with Curt's matter, let's go on a nice, relaxing trip. Alright?" Ashton grunted absentmindedly. He would be leaving in a few days, anyway, and saying yes or no wouldn't make much of a difference. … Three days later, Ashton had just returned home from shopping with his friend when he was surprised to see Claire and Curtis in the living room, sitting close on the couch and flipping through a photo album. Curtis' eyes lit up when he saw him. "Mr. Gill, you're back! Clairy and I were just browsing through our old photos. You know, our friends used to say we looked like a married couple, and I thought they were just joking. "But when we went for our wedding photoshoot a few days ago, the photographer said the same thing! Take a look and tell me, do we really look like a married couple?" As soon as he finished speaking, the air seemed to still for a moment. The provocation in Curtis' words was unmissable, yet Ashton simply nodded, unbothered. "They're kinda right. You two do look—" "We have a school reunion tonight. Why don't you come with us, Ash?" Claire interrupted. A trace of irony flickered through Ashton's heart. He surmised Claire thought he was upset, so she was trying to make it up by taking him to the reunion. The car ride was unusually quiet, each of the three lost in their thoughts. When they arrived at the hotel, Curtis walked beside Claire, naturally chatting about their school days. When the conversation grew lively, he even reached out to hold her hand. Ashton stayed silent the entire time, quietly trailing behind them. As soon as they entered the venue, a crowd encircled them. "Yo, care to explain what's going on between you two?" "Who knew, after everything, you two still end up together!" Curtis didn't care to explain but simply smiled at Claire with flushed cheeks. Right then, someone finally noticed Ashton by the door. "And who's that?"