My star athlete boyfriend, Liam, had a habit. After every intense, passionate night we spent together, he would take an intimate photo of me.
Tonight, he'd been an untamed beast in bed. Afterward, he cajoled me into posing for a particularly risqué photo.
After he was done, my cheeks were flushed, and I pushed him away with a playful reproach.
"Obsessed with that photo, huh? What's so fascinating about it?"
Liam replied with a smug grin, not even bothering to look up.
"Chloe's coming back tomorrow. The girl I've been obsessed with for seven years. This is probably our last time, so I had to make it memorable."
I froze. Staring at him, I asked blankly, "What do you mean?"
Liam just cocked his head, a look of mock surprise on his face.
"What else could it mean? The goddess is back, so of course I have to be all in with her. I can't be messing around with you anymore!"
"C'mon, Ava. We're just bros. Scratching an itch for each other is what we do. You haven't actually caught feelings after all this time, have you?"
With that, he tossed the torn lingerie at my face.
"Alright, drop the sad-puppy act. It's a total buzzkill. Don't worry, I'll keep your photos safe for you."
"And hey, if Chloe is ever busy, you're always welcome to come over for another round!"
An icy spike of pain shot through my heart. It finally hit me. Liam had never loved me.
I was just... the girl he treated like one of the guys.
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1
A tremor shot through me, my palms instantly cold and clammy. I looked up, my vision blurring through a film of tears.
"Liam, you're saying... I'm just your bro? After seven years, you never felt anything for me? Not even a little?"
If he didn't like me, then why was he so possessive, forbidding any other men from being around me?
Why did he cling to me day and night, and why did he coax me into taking one intimate photo after another?
I thought we were a couple. An unspoken one, but still... a couple!
His only reply was a scoff of impatience.
"Ava, I thought you were different from all those other clingy girls."
"You're easygoing, you don't overthink things. You even let me take those kinds of pictures. That's why I kept you around!"
"You know perfectly well how much I like Chloe. What's the point of acting like a victim now? Besides, I'm not exactly small down there. It's not like you haven't gotten yours these past seven years!"
The pain was so sharp, so absolute, that I couldn't even cry.
A wave of pure humiliation washed over me, and a low, miserable laugh escaped my lips.
Liam and I were childhood friends, having grown up together on the Upper East Side of New York City. I was introverted, while he had always been the dazzling ice hockey prince.
He was fearless, a force of nature, but with me, he was always gentle.
If someone bullied me, he would toss their gear into the locker room trash can.
Gradually, I grew accustomed to his blatant favoritism, but that all ended when Liam went to college and fell for the supermodel Chloe at first sight.
He once made a grand public declaration of his love for Chloe on the giant screens in Times Square.
Even after being rejected multiple times, he refused to give up, becoming so infatuated that his training suffered.
The day Chloe resolutely left the country for her career, Liam waited a whole night at JFK Airport, but he couldn't change her mind.
His despondency led to a career-threatening injury on the ice.
So I gave up my spot to study in Paris.
I found him the best doctors. I stayed by his side day and night, coaching him through rehab, taking care of his every need... until that care spilled over into the bedroom.
When I woke up that day, I saw an empty cigarette carton on Liam's nightstand.
He didn't say a word, but the cloud of despair around him had lifted, and his old gentleness toward me returned.
I thought he had finally let go.
I thought he had accepted me.
But it was only now that I understood it had been my own wishful thinking all along.
The one that got away... I guess they really do become a lifelong obsession.
Even after seven years, Liam still hadn't forgotten his dream girl, Chloe.
The moment she returned, he couldn't wait to draw a clear line between us.
He even made a point of stressing that I was just his... bro.
"Hah..."
The tears I had been holding back finally fell. I scrambled into my clothes, spun around, and slapped Liam hard across the face.
"Liam, consider the last seven years of my life a write-off. From now on, go chase your goddess, and don't you ever bother me again!"
"Ava, are you crazy! You—"
Behind me, I heard Liam start to yell, but I couldn't look at him for another second. I just ran.
I went home and cried my heart out. It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that my emotions finally settled.
Without any more hesitation, I dialed my father's number.
"Dad, I'll do it. I'll agree to the business marriage with Ethan. You can arrange the wedding date. The sooner, the better. I've booked a flight to Paris for seven days from now."
But just as I hung up, my front door was thrown open.
