He Canceled Our Ring to Buy Her a Bag, and I’m the One Who Looks Foolish Chapter 02
Ryan came home at ten that night.
He was carrying a cake box.
In his other hand was a paper bag from another luxury brand.
When he saw me sitting in the living room, he frowned.
“Don’t touch that bag.”
“The skin on Lily’s hand split a little, so I grabbed her a tube of hand cream while I was out.”
I said nothing.
I only lowered my head and looked at my own hands.
These hands had cracked last winter too.
My knuckles had been red and swollen, and even touching warm water hurt.
I had asked Ryan to bring me hand cream when he passed the mall.
Three hours later, he finally sent me a message.
Ryan: [The counter was too crowded. It’s not worth it.]
When he came home that night, he brought me a little CVS jar of Vaseline.
It was $1.99.
Buy one, get one free.
He said, “It’s all the same as long as it works.”
Back then, I had truly believed him.
I thought he simply did not know how to buy things like that.
But now, the logo on that paper bag was sitting right in front of me, bright and unmistakable.
He said it so naturally.
So naturally that I suddenly felt there was no point in asking about any of the grievances I had swallowed over the past four years.
Ryan set the cake box on the coffee table.
“It’s peanut-butter cheesecake. You like it, don’t you?”
I looked at the familiar box.
It was from the bakery Lily posted on Instagram most often.
The line there was always at least two hours long.
In four years, Ryan had bought it for me only once.
Even then, it was only because Lily had gotten tired of it and had him bring back the half-empty box.
“I’m allergic to peanuts.”
Ryan’s hands stopped as he was opening the package.
A few seconds later, he frowned.
“There are only a few crushed peanuts in it. Can’t you just pick them out?”
The first time I was hospitalized for an allergic reaction two years ago, he had stayed by my bed and asked the doctor over and over what he needed to watch out for.
He had said he would definitely remember from then on.
Later, he remembered that Lily could not have cold drinks.
He remembered her iced oat latte with only one pump of vanilla.
He remembered that she wanted her tacos with no cilantro.
The only thing he forgot was that I was allergic to peanuts.
When Ryan saw that I was not moving, he grew irritated.
“Then don’t eat it.”
He pushed the cake aside as if he were pushing away something terribly inconvenient.
His phone lit up.
It was a voice call from Lily.
Ryan accepted it almost immediately.
“Ryan, I got the perfume. It smells amazing.”
“How did you even remember I love gardenia?”
Her voice was sweet and soft, carrying just the right amount of dependence.
The impatience on Ryan’s face faded.
“When have I ever forgotten anything you like?”
The living room went quiet.
I sat on the sofa and suddenly felt a little cold.
Ryan seemed to remember only then that I was still beside him.
He cleared his throat and ended the call.
“Lily just moved back to the States, so a lot of things here still feel unfamiliar to her.”
“She doesn’t have much family here either, so it’s normal for me to look after her a little more.”
I nodded.
“Normal.”
He glanced at me, seeming unused to my calmness.
“Evelyn, don’t be passive-aggressive.”
I was not being passive-aggressive.
I truly thought it was normal.
When you love someone, you remember them.
When you do not love someone, you need to be reminded again and again.
I got up and went to the bathroom to wash my hands.
In the mirror, my eyes were very calm.
Beside the sink sat that $1.99 CVS jar of Vaseline.
It was almost empty.
Next to it was a bottle of body lotion Lily had left behind.
It was an imported brand, with an elegant bottle and a faint scent.
Ryan had said Lily had sensitive skin and could not use ordinary products.
I looked at the two bottles and suddenly let out a small laugh.
So in this home, even a bottle of body lotion she had left behind was treated more seriously than I was.
