Danielle was wearing a pale yellow sundress. She rushed over with a bright smile, patting Clive on the shoulder.
"Clive!"
Only then did she notice me. Her gaze swept over my face once before she smiled and said, "So this is your girlfriend? She looks pretty quiet. And that outfit, why does it look so…"
She let out a small laugh, the mockery in her eyes impossible to miss.
I lowered my head and rubbed the hem of my dress between my fingers, wrinkling the fabric. My face burned hot with embarrassment.
The dress had cost about 50 bucks, but compared to the designer brands she was wearing, it did look cheap.
Clive casually pulled out a chair for Danielle and asked why she had suddenly shown up. She said she was in a bad mood and had gotten into a fight with her roommate.
That afternoon, Clive and I had originally planned to go see an art exhibit together.
But after listening to Danielle complain for a bit, he turned to me and said, "Let's see the exhibit another time. I'll walk around with Danielle first so she can clear her head."
I froze for a second, then nodded.
Danielle immediately hooked her arm through his and stuck out her tongue at me apologetically. "Sorry. Mind lending me your boyfriend for a little while?"
No one noticed how humiliated I felt. Not even Clive.
That was only the first time.
After that, it kept happening.
When Danielle got dumped, she called Clive crying, and he took a cab to her college in the middle of the night to comfort her.
When Danielle craved desserts from a famous old bakery on the west side of town, Clive skipped class to stand in line with her.
On Danielle's birthday, Clive organized a whole group of friends to celebrate with her, running around nonstop.
But he completely forgot that it was also our first anniversary.
Every time I got upset, Clive always said the same things.
"She's been like this since we were kids. She's basically my little sister. Don't overthink it.
"We've known each other for so many years. Can't you be a little more understanding?
"When did you become so nitpicky?"
Arguments, cold wars, making up, over and over again.
Every time a fight dragged on, I would end up seeing the irritation and exhaustion on his face and be the first to reach for his hand.
He would pull me into a hug and say, "Alright, alright. You're the only one I love."
And then, everything would go back to how it was.
Danielle would still look for him whenever she wanted, and he never seemed to learn how to say no. He even thought I was making a big deal out of nothing whenever I told him how I felt.
When I saw him and Danielle tangled together in a hotel room with my own eyes tonight, every excuse I had made for myself shattered.
Since he found me annoying, I would just leave.
