On the first night of our graduation trip, Richard Clark, the class representative, suggests that we find our match via room numbers.

"Let your luck decide your fate! You'll get to stay in the same room with your partner regardless of gender! How exciting is this?"

Throughout my four-year college life, I've been in an underground relationship with Faye Lister for three years. No one knows about our relationship at all.

I dig out a ball from the box and wait for my turn to get matched.

When it's Faye's turn, she claims that her number is seven. That's when Richard raises his voice.

"The other person who gets Room 7 is… Xavier Jensen!"

Xavier, the guy whom Faye had once pursued in a grand fashion, shoots her a smile immediately.

Everyone cheers on them, claiming that even God wants them to be together. I'm the only one who doesn't say anything.

No one knows that I've heard Richard and Faye having a secretive conversation before the start of the game.

"Find the ball with a circular bump. That's the mark I've specifically left for you and Xavier."

As I watch Faye approach Xavier and arrange his collar with scarlet cheeks, I find myself smiling as well.

It turns out that I've wasted three years waiting for Faye to announce our relationship.

This time, I decide to be the one leaving this relationship.

Caleb's Point-of-View

Richard Clark, the class representative, hadn't even finished assigning the rooms, yet the atmosphere had already become electric.

Richard handed out red wristbands while loudly reminding everyone, saying, "You're paired up as long as you have matching numbers! You're grouped together for this three-day, two-night trip based on your wristband color. You're not allowed to go off on your own!"

There was a chorus of whistles sounding through the crowd, with a few young women deliberately teasing Faye Lister with meaningful glances.

Xavier Jensen still wore a smile as he fastened the wristband and casually took Faye's bag. Faye blushed even harder and hid behind him with her small frame. Xavier smoothly removed his coat and placed it over her shoulders before addressing the crowd. "Oh, enough messing around. Faye gets shy easily."

"Oh, my! Xavier is being so protective already! You guys better watch out. If you make Faye unhappy, Xavier will come after us!"

In that instant, the crowd's teasing quickly swelled into a collective clamor.

I was standing away from everyone else, clutching a ball in one hand and lugging a heavy suitcase in the other.

Faye shoved her belongings into my suitcase before we left for this trip, saying, "You'll be the one carrying my bags when we get there anyway, and you wouldn't be able to manage an extra suitcase of your own."

She then pointed at my newly bought coat and asked, "What about that one? I heard the nights are cold there, so that can be mine to wear."

In the three years we had been together, Faye had never acted intimately with me in front of our classmates, let alone worn my coat.

I was thrilled, believing she would announce our relationship during the trip, but on the first day, she was in Xavier's coat, and even the bag she said I would carry ended up on his shoulder instead.

I was lugging a very heavy suitcase, straining my entire side and sending sharp pains from my fingertips to my shoulder. I bent down, let go of the handle, and cleared my throat to steady my voice. I then raised my hand and said tentatively, "Uh, excuse me…"

It was then that everyone's attention shifted toward me, and Richard, still unable to hide his excitement, asked, "What's up, Caleb? Do you have something to say about this arrangement since you're Xavier's roommate?"

Xavier went stiff, a faint, awkward smile playing on his lips. Faye snapped her eyes up, her expression both anxious and cautious. She was worried for nothing, though.

I merely showed them the ball I was holding and asked, "Who has number 3?"

Richard glanced around and caught someone waving from across the crowd, saying, "I have!"

It turned out to be a young woman from our class who rarely drew any attention to herself.

Richard chuckled. "It turns out to be Ruth Hall! You're single, right, Ruth?"

He then turned to me and asked, "How about you, Caleb? You can pair up if you're single too; otherwise, I'll arrange for you to room with a guy instead—"

I calmly interrupted him, saying, "I'm single."

I caught Faye's expression softening and then tightening again out of the corner of my eye. She shifted her gaze toward Ruth, but Richard had already taken out the orange wristbands, saying, "That's great, then! You're both single, so maybe we'll see another couple by the end of the trip!"

I took the wristband from Richard and nodded slightly, saying, "Thanks."

I could feel someone watching me as I picked up the suitcase again. I wasn't sure what she looked like at the moment, but I assumed she was probably just relieved.

Anyway, once the room assignments were settled, everyone started lining up to check in.

Xavier left to call home, while Faye stalled for time, presenting their IDs only after I was the only one left in line.

"You'd better seek out Richard and tell him you're not comfortable staying with a woman; ask for a male roommate or a single room, and tell him you'll pay the difference," Faye whispered while looking away, not even acknowledging me with her eyes.

I was busy texting my parents to inform them that I had arrived safely, so I didn't even bother looking up as I asked, "Why's that?"

"What kind of question is that? You're not single, so you shouldn't be staying in a room with someone of the opposite sex."

"What about you, then? Do you think you're single?"

Faye's hand froze, her voice taking on a haughty tone while explaining, "These were the rules established at the beginning, so I'm just following the results of the drawing."

I retorted softly, "I'm just following the result of the draw, too."

Faye glared at me, but I had already taken the key card and turned my back on her before she could speak.

I had barely taken a few steps when Richard suddenly announced, "Please head to the AV Room in half an hour—I've already reserved the whole place so that we can take a trip down memory lane and watch the first-year sports festival documentary!"

I kept walking without stopping, merely adjusting my hold on the handle of my suitcase.

It was the documentary of the first-year sports festival—the one that documented Faye's high-profile pursuit of Xavier.

There were snacks and fruit everywhere in the AV Room. Faye took her seat and instantly swapped the grapes over to Xavier's side.

A male classmate nearby laughed and teased them. "Faye is being so biased here! She's giving Xavier all the grapes since she knows he loves them!"

In that instant, everyone in the room joined the chorus of teasing.

Xavier gave a resigned sigh and nudged the plate of grapes away. He sounded rather pleased with himself, despite his actions, as he said, "You should all dig in too. Faye bought me plenty. If this isn't enough, there's more in the room."

Faye pushed the plate toward him, her grin widening. "I'll go grab some more, so you should just enjoy these."

Faye rose to leave, and the crowd's jeering grew deafening. "Faye jumped to it the moment you spoke, Xavier! She really has it bad for you!"

Xavier smiled as he ate the grapes. He then called out to me, saying, "You should eat your fill when Faye brings the rest, Caleb. You're quite fond of grapes as well, aren't you?"

Faye walked back into the AV room with two plates of grapes and set them both down before Xavier. She was well aware that I liked grapes too. She nagged me for the past three years whenever I bought grapes, telling me they had a high sugar content and would make my skin break out.

I had just casually grabbed an orange when Richard's voice suddenly rang out. "Where's Ruth, Caleb?"

In that instant, everyone turned their attention toward me.

I kept my head down and peeled the orange, replying, "She had something urgent to handle."

Richard seemed kind of bummed. "That doesn't bode well for you two, then! It's not a big deal, though, since I'm certain that the other couple will pull through!"

Faye looked at me for a brief moment, then looked away. "It's about to start."

She spoke in a breathy tone as she fed a grape to Xavier.

That documentary went on for a solid two hours, and the crowd remained enthusiastic, breaking into laughter and ribbing Faye and Xavier every time they appeared on the screen.

"Faye's wiping Xavier's sweat again! He only did a 50-meter dash, but she's already following him tighter than the cameraman!"

"You've even prepared a bottle of water, a mini fan, and sunscreen!"

"Faye's pursuit of you back then was known by the whole university, Xavier. How did you hold out for so long? She stayed single for four years because of you, and even after graduation, she's still hung up on you!"

Xavier looked at Faye with a gentle expression. "I just didn't think dating during university would last, so I wanted to wait until after graduation. I had no idea she would wait for me all this time."

It was then that one of the female classmates said, "You must have suffered a lot waiting for these past four years, Faye."

Faye looked him right in the eye and nodded gently. "It wasn't too bad."

That brief response carried the weight of four years of restraint and devotion, causing everyone around to sigh in admiration.

I, on the other hand, merely scoffed to myself, thinking that there was nothing for her to be miserable about.

Faye spent six dramatic months chasing Xavier with nothing to show for it before she suddenly shifted her focus to tennis instead.

I was a starter on the varsity team, so she asked me to coach her for half a year, and right at the beginning of sophomore year, she asked me out.

It was hardly even miserable for her, as even though our relationship was kept secret, we were perfectly content and incredibly happy.

I was—perhaps—the only one who felt that way, though. I looked down and ate a piece of the orange before the male classmate beside me suddenly gestured wildly at the screen. "Why is the girl holding an umbrella over you, Caleb? Did she use to have a crush on you?"

In that instant, the discussion shifted over to me.

I simply shook my head and replied, "It was just a coincidence—she was passing by."

That classmate persisted, though, saying, "It's a shame that she isn't here today; after all, she's clearly interested in you. You should give her a chance, Caleb. I think you guys would be perfect together."

Faye was smoothly pouring a glass of water for Xavier on the other side, seemingly oblivious to our conversation.

I smiled faintly and said, "It won't be necessary since I already have a girlfriend."

I noticed Faye suddenly going rigid, her fingernails digging into her palms. I knew her well enough to know she feared I would speak recklessly.

That classmate caught hold of my arm and asked loudly, "Who is it? Is it someone from our class, Caleb?"

I could feel dozens of people staring at me, but I maintained my smile exactly as it was and nodded, replying, "Yes."

In that instant, everyone in the room erupted with excitement, demanding to know who she was.

Faye's expression gradually soured as she lowered her head to look at her phone, tapping frantically at the screen.

I noticed my phone vibrating twice, but I paid it no attention. I simply said, "She had something to take care of and couldn't come."

There were seven or eight female classmates who hadn't shown up that day.

Richard looked disappointed. He was just about to follow up with another question when Xavier suddenly cut him off with a shout as his glass tipped over, spilling water all over his pants.

Faye immediately reached for tissues to wipe it, but Xavier stopped her while bending forward with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't hold onto it properly."

"It's fine. I'll go back with you so that you can change into something else before you catch a cold."

Faye left with Xavier, and since the documentary was no longer interesting, everyone dispersed from the AV room.

I returned to my room and noticed that the suitcase was open—Faye had taken her clothes and cosmetics bag.

I spent the whole night staring at my phone, and the unread notifications on my screen remained the two messages she sent—"Don't say anything," and "Don't ruin the moment."

I, as her rightful boyfriend, couldn't ruin the flirtatious vibe between her and Xavier.

It was just like the charity bazaar during sophomore year; even though I brought in the most money, I had to let Xavier have the award so I wouldn't overshadow the class heartthrob.

It was also just like the junior-year tennis tournament—just because Xavier said he wanted to try playing in a match, I had to drop out so that I wouldn't dampen his spirits.

In the past three years, Faye had been very good to me. She had brought me water during games and knitted me scarves when it got cold. She had done everything a girlfriend should do, aside from not agreeing to make our relationship public.

I, however, was always sidelined whenever Xavier was involved.

It was already dawn, yet there was still nothing from my phone. I stared out the window at the rising sun, feeling increasingly calm inside.

That day's itinerary was sightseeing. Faye and Xavier wore their red wristbands and stayed side-by-side the entire time.

Xavier was carrying the camera I had bought for Faye. He took photos of her at every trendy photo spot and snapped selfies of the two of them in front of the attractions.

Those around asked about my future plans while we were resting by the bridge. "Do you plan to stay in Sundermere or go back to Borrengate, Caleb?"

I replied calmly, "I'll be returning to Borrengate."

Faye wiped the sweat off Xavier, occasionally glancing in my direction.

Richard nudged Faye, asking, "You'll definitely be staying in Sundermere since Xavier is a Sundermere native, right?"

Faye replied without any hesitation, "Of course."

Xavier lowered his eyes with a smirk and quietly shifted over, pressing himself close against Faye.

It was then that one of the classmates furrowed their brow in confusion and asked, "Haven't you already found a job in Sundermere, Caleb? Why are you suddenly returning to Borrengate?"

I smiled faintly and replied, "I turned down the job offer since I wanted to be closer to my parents."

"Is that really the reason? Is it really for your parents—or actually for your girlfriend?"

They crowded around eagerly for gossip as my smile widened. "It's a bit of both since my parents are getting older, so I want to stay nearby to look after them, and my girlfriend has also decided to settle down in Borrengate, too."

They kept teasing me and demanded to know my girlfriend's name, but I simply shook my head and held my tongue.

Faye caught me outside the restroom at the next sightseeing spot. "Did you actually quit your job, Caleb?"