Goodbye to the Past, Hello to Love

I stared in silence.

Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Cathy was the first to speak.

"So, does this mean the blind date was a success? Are you two officially together now?"

I opened my mouth to explain only to see Julian already nodding.

I turned to look at him, and he lowered his voice.

"Liz, that was my first kiss."

Three sets of eyes remained fixed on me, waiting for my response.

With nowhere to run, I could only nod.

There was no getting out of this one.

After all, I had literally tackled him in front of his mom—then kissed him on top of it.

No excuse in the world would make this look any better.

…

When I got home, Julian sent me a message.

"Liz, if you’re not interested in me, that’s okay. I’ll be fine."

For some reason, that only made me feel more embarrassed.

But when I thought about it, it wasn’t exactly a bad deal for me.

He was handsome, and I already knew what kind of person he was.

Maybe giving it a shot wasn’t the worst idea.

And just like that, Julian and I became an official couple.

He started picking me up all the time, taking me everywhere—from amusement parks to private hot springs, horseback riding, archery, even surfing.

It was like he had endless energy.

At the movies, he barely watched the screen, his gaze on me the entire time.

He was obedient and sweet, like a devoted little puppy.

The only issue was that he was younger than me.

Every time I brought it up, my mom would just wave me off.

"Younger men are the best! You have no idea how much of an advantage that is."

I just stared at her and kept quiet.

…

On Julian’s birthday, he invited me early on to attend his party that evening.

That was when I realized that I had never actually given him a gift before.

Glancing at the auction invitation I received, I decided to go, hoping to find something special for him.

I remembered there was an seven-figure watch being auctioned tonight.

Julian’s uncle ran a massive business in Port City.

Though he and his wife never had children due to her health, he treated Julian and the other kids in the family as his own. The Walkers had no shortage of money.

But still, I wanted to buy it for him.

What I didn’t expect was that someone else had their eye on the same watch—Ryan’s friend, Leo Scott.

At first, he didn’t even notice me.

After several rounds of bidding, I finally raised the paddle for the final call.

With that, the auction was settled.

No one raised the bid again.

As I stood up, Leo looked over in surprise.

"Lizzie? What are you doing here? You placed the final bid?"

I nodded.

Among Ryan’s circle of friends, Leo had always been one of the more civil ones toward me, though we were never particularly close.

But I was in a hurry to leave—tonight was Julian’s birthday.

Noticing how I kept fidgeting with my car keys, Leo gave me a polite nod and walked away without further questions.

…

Julian’s birthday party was held at Champs Club—the largest and most exclusive venue in the city, known for its privacy.

Before heading over, I went home to change out of my tailored blazer dress and white blouse.

Then, I slipped into a form-fitting, blush-pink dress.

The hemline stopped just above my knees, flaring out into a mermaid shape.

I let my hair fall in soft waves and took the time to do my makeup.

Julian had offered to pick me up, but I turned him down.

His friends were already there, and as the birthday boy, it wouldn’t look right for him to leave.

By the time I arrived, gift in hand, I walked toward the private suite.

Just as I reached the door, I noticed that the suite across from Julian’s had been left open.

From inside, I heard Ryan’s voice.

In a city this size, it wasn't all that surprising to cross paths. It was just big enough to feel urban, but small enough for chance encounters.

Then I heard Leo speak.

"Ryan, guess who I ran into this afternoon?"

Ryan sat right in the center of the room, perfectly in my line of sight.

"Who?"

Leo chuckled.

"Lizzie."

Ryan’s fingers paused for a fraction of a second.

"She was at the auction and bought a watch.

"I had my eye on it too, placed a few bids—but guess what? Lizzie made the final call."

Leo leaned back, taking a sip of his drink.

"It was a men’s watch. I’d say there’s a good chance it’s for you."

Ryan rested against the sofa, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

"She sure knows how to splurge.

"All that just to swallow her pride and make the final bid?"

Leo swirled his glass.

"She was crazy about you, man. Three months, and she hasn’t reached out once. You really don’t think about getting back together?"

Ryan let out a short laugh.

"It’s just a standoff.

"But judging by today, it looks like she’s finally cooled off. About time she learned her place."