Eight Years Of Silence Ended When I Saw Him Talk To Her Chapter 01
Evan Harlow and I had been long-distance for four years, and every time we saw each other, the first thing he said was always the same.
“You gained weight. And somehow, you look shorter too.”
When my friend heard about it, she joked, “Maybe he has another girlfriend. One who’s taller and skinnier than you.”
It had only been a joke, but I took it to heart.
I traveled nearly two thousand miles to the city where Evan had been assigned for work, only to stumble upon him walking side by side with a younger woman.
I followed them from a distance and watched as they first went to a packed café, waiting in line just to take pictures at the spot everyone was posting about.
Whenever I wanted to do something like that, Evan always turned me down impatiently and said it was a waste of time.
After that, they went into a restaurant and sat down.
Evan thoughtfully pulled out her chair for her, then wiped down her silverware and glass with a sanitizing wipe.
Even when the food came, he instinctively slid the dishes she liked closer to her.
In the eight years we had been together, this was the first time I realized he was capable of being this considerate.
I watched Evan talk easily at the table, sharing the frustrations of his job and the funny little things that had happened to him.
Without thinking, I lowered my head and looked at the curt texts he usually sent me.
Evan: [I’m at work.]
Evan: [I ate.]
Evan: [I’m on lunch break.]
All of a sudden, everything felt so pointless.
So I pulled up the overseas assignment offer on my phone and tapped accept.
I did not want a love that already had cracks in it.
***
When I walked up to Evan, he had just placed another piece of food onto the girl’s plate, the corners of his mouth still lifted in a smile.
The moment he saw me, he froze, his hand suspended in midair.
“Cl… Claire?”
I ignored him and turned to the girl instead, introducing myself.
“I’m Claire Bennett. I’m his girlfriend. And you are?”
“H-hi. I’m Sophie Parker. I work for Mr. Harlow.”
By the end of her sentence, her voice had dropped noticeably, threaded with a hint of guilt so faint it was almost easy to miss.
I was about to keep asking questions when Evan cut me off.
“Claire, that’s enough.”
I looked at the anger in his eyes and had no idea what he was angry about.
My boyfriend was eating alone with another woman.
Their behavior was clearly intimate.
Did I not even have the right to ask?
Or was he angry because my sudden appearance had interrupted all of this?
I stopped talking and simply leaned back in my chair, suddenly exhausted.
Evan walked the girl out of the restaurant and did not return until he had personally watched her get into an Uber.
Only then did he come back and sit across from me.
“When did you get here? Why didn’t you tell me?”
His tone was the same as always, as if nothing had happened.
“I could’ve picked you up.”
As he spoke, he reached for my hand, but I pulled away.
“Tell you?”
“If I had told you, would I have gotten to see that my boyfriend, who barely says a word to me, can actually be this talkative?”
Before Evan could explain, I gave a cold laugh and went on.
“Every time we finally get to see each other and have a meal, you only ever pay attention to yourself.”
“You never notice when there’s cilantro in a dish I can’t eat. You never notice when my glass is empty.”
“But when you’re with her, you’re more attentive than anyone. You even pull out her chair yourself.”
My words were thick with sarcasm. Evan frowned instinctively, his patience already wearing thin.
“We were just having a meal as coworkers. Do you really have to make it such a big deal?”
“Yes, I do, because the things you did for her are things you’ve never done for me.”
I told him plainly what I was upset about.
Naively, I thought Evan would feel at least a little guilty and apologize to me.
Clearly, I had expected too much.
He still had that same condescending, above-it-all attitude, trying to brush the whole thing off.
“Fine. I get it. I’ll take better care of you from now on.”
“I’ll refill your water and pull out your chair. Happy?”
It felt like throwing a punch into a pillow. Even my anger suddenly felt weak and useless.
“You’re already here. Want me to show you around?”
In the span of a few seconds, he had returned to normal, speaking as if he had already forgotten every conflict between us.
This again.
Every time we argued, he would bury the problem under a new question.
Like the time Evan told me he was home sick with a fever, but his iPhone Fitness app showed he had logged thirty thousand steps.
Anxious and unsettled, I called him because I wanted an answer.
“You lied and said you were at home. Where did you actually go?”
He only laughed and brushed me off.
“What are you overthinking now?”
“I heard a new café opened near you. When I’m back, we’ll go try it together.”
Or the time he suddenly changed his usual black profile picture to a cartoon avatar.
Uneasy, I made a self-mocking joke.
“Did you really meet a girl who’s taller than me, skinnier than me, and cuter than me too?”
He still did not answer directly. Instead, he asked me over the phone, “Are you stuck working over Memorial Day weekend?”
“Yeah. I’m on the holiday schedule.”
“Then we can’t meet. I’ll be too tired.”
When I snapped back to the present, his eyes were no longer on me.
He was staring down at the phone in his palm, typing message after message.
I smiled, stood up, pushed open the door, and left.
