Loved Alone for Many Years

When I got home, I didn't call Ava. I simply washed up and went to bed. Around midnight, I heard a knock on the door—she was back.

I turned over and continued to sleep. Ava stood by the bed and looked at me for a long time before leaving. I found it a bit strange. What's wrong with her? Why was she staring at me?

Was it because I hadn't yelled at her tonight?

In the past, whenever I argued, she would call me crazy and unreasonable. At first, she would try to explain, but later on, she just gave up and told me to think however I wanted.

Now, I had come to terms with it. It no longer mattered. I realized I had been pretty boring in the past.

I ignored her, and after standing there for a long time, she finally left, allowing me to sleep well.

The next day, I went to work feeling much lighter. I had more energy than usual.

When I came home in the evening, I saw Ava at home. "Why did you get off work so early today?"

"I'm off today. Here, this is your birthday gift."

"Thanks," I said as I took the gift and set it aside, changing my shoes.

"Andrew Jones, about yesterday... I'm sorry. I was there, but... Barry said that his girlfriend, who's been missing for many years, came back and caused him trouble, so he had no choice but to call me..."

"Hmm," I nodded.

"There's a meeting at the company tonight. I have to go. I'm coming home to fetch a document."

"But I can't cook, and I'm a bit hungry right now."

"Oh, do you want me to order takeout for you?" I suggested.

After hearing this, Ava's expression soured, and she walked out.

I knew she was mad, but for what reason?

I and Ava fell into another cold war. This time, I didn't back down—it had already been three days.

In the past, after every argument, I would do everything possible to apologize and make her happy. But this time, I felt relaxed and free without Ava around.

My work quality even improved significantly. My manager complimented me on it.

After work, I cooked for myself. I used to believe my girlfriend had a weak stomach, so I put in the effort to learn how to cook just for her, and in turn, my own culinary skills improved.

However, once her stomach got better, she stopped eating properly at home. Sometimes she would come back every three days, sometimes five.

Now, my focus was no longer on her, and I found I had plenty of free time.

I finished a book I enjoyed in just two evenings and chatted casually with my colleagues, even bragging a little with a new female coworker.

Suddenly, I realized that I had been too submissive in the past, my head full of thoughts about my girlfriend—a classic case of love struck.

I can't entirely blame myself. At the time, my only wish was to work hard and bring Ava home as my wife.

I even thought that if she wanted me to be a stay-at-home husband, I could do that too.

Looking back now, I feel like a fool. She had already lost interest in me while I was struggling at work. If it weren't for the fact that the owner of the company was a childhood friend of my father, I would have been fired long ago.

Watching everyone around me working so hard inspired me as well. I started focusing on my own career, studying for certificates related to my job.

My colleagues noticed that I was no longer love-struck and were happy to offer me advice.

After work, we would study and eat together, and by the time we finished everything, it was already late.

Ava brought up her concerns a few times, but I brushed her off, claiming to be too busy with work.

One day, after spending the entire morning answering questions, I felt dizzy and took a break, pulling out my phone to scroll through my social media. I stumbled upon a rare post from Ava, who usually wouldn't update her moments for months.

The post was a single photo, with no caption, depicting a seafood restaurant, featuring a pair of hands peeling shrimp for her.

I was unfazed upon seeing it and set my phone down.

I understood what she was trying to say. She intentionally posted a picture of her dining with Barry to test my limits and see if I'd get angry.

At this point, I had already built immunity to such actions and felt no reaction at all.

Just then, as I was leaving work, I spotted Ava at the company entrance.

"What's this about?" I asked, confused.

As the car window rolled down, I immediately recognized that face I detested. "Barry?"

"Hey, today is the opening of that seafood restaurant. Ava loves it, so we went there. You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all. After all, you've grown up together and even dated. If you really had something going on, you wouldn't have broken up," I replied, noting the displeasure on Ava's face.

Barry seemed somewhat disbelieving, perhaps wondering why I wasn't confronting him like before. He used to always play the victim, trying to make Ava misunderstand me, and after each successful maneuver, he would wear a triumphant smirk.

This time, however, he miscalculated because I had simply stopped being angry at him.

I took my place in the back seat because, as long as Barry was present, the front passenger seat would never be mine. He always claimed he felt nauseous in the front seat, and we had fought over it before, with Ava eventually siding with him. So now, riding in the back had become my habit.

Barry, seeing his plan with the whole "green tea" tactic fall flat, shifted the conversation to the seafood restaurant, discussing the food and whether the fish was fresh. I wasn't in the mood to listen and felt a bit tired, so I pulled my jacket closer and leaned back against the seat, drifting off to sleep.

When I awoke, we had already arrived home. Ava looked excited as she noticed I was awake. "You're up! I need to talk to you!"

"Can it wait until tomorrow? It's late, and I had a long day at work. I'm tired," I offered, looking for an escape.

"I didn't mean to invite him. A few of my girlfriends called him, and I didn't know he would be there. If I had, I wouldn't have gone," she explained.

Curiously, she was offering an explanation today. Normally, she never bothered to clarify such things. But now, I didn't care anymore.

I nodded and said, "I believe you. You don't have to explain anything about Barry. You two are childhood friends." I opened the car door and walked towards home.

Initially, I thought this matter was behind us, but the next day, she called me again.

"What's up?" I asked flatly.

"Andrew, my friend Linda is moving today, and she invited us for dinner. Will you come with me?"

"I... I think I'll pass. It's all women. I'm just a guy. You might feel uncomfortable," I replied. "Besides, it's too late and will affect my work tomorrow," I added as a valid excuse.

"It won't be too late. We all will work tomorrow, and it's just a simple meal. Linda even mentioned she hasn't seen you in a while and misses you," she said.

I hesitated before nodding and agreeing to go.

We headed directly to the address Linda had provided. Just as the door opened, a figure rushed toward my girlfriend, startling me.

The person burst into laughter and jumped straight into Ava's arms.

Her expression darkened, and she hurriedly tried to say something to me.

"Ava, what are you doing? I almost fell!" Barry said with an unhappy face.

I remained silent, watching their little play unfold.

"You two chat. I'll check the kitchen to see if I can help," I said. Ava's face turned grim. "... You're a guest today. Leave the kitchen to Linda and the others."

I ignored her and went to the kitchen.

At the dinner table, Barry started his antics again. "Who cooked this fish?"

"I did it, what's wrong?"

"Andrew, this fish should be braised. Steaming it doesn't taste good."

"Really? I think it tastes pretty good," Linda chimed in, taking a bite.

"Ava, give it a try. It's delicious," Linda encouraged, trying to ease the tension.

As soon as my girlfriend reached for the fish, Barry put a piece in her mouth.

Ava looked at me and said to Barry, "No, I'll serve myself."

I smiled without saying a word. I wasn't unfamiliar with this type of scene. I had already gotten used to it.

In the end, Barry failed to feed her the fish.

After dinner, they suggested going to karaoke, but I was preoccupied with my exam and wanted to head home.

Barry was disappointed and coaxed Ava not to see me off.

"I'll just call a cab!" I pulled out my phone to book a ride.

"Then I'll go home too. We can have another gathering next time." I found it unusual that Ava wanted to go home with me today. In the past, she would never leave early with Barry around.

Seeing that Ava was done for the night, Barry also lost interest and left with her.

As usual, I sat in the back, he sat in the front. All the way, he chattered away with Ava, but this time, she ignored him and finally said, "Be quiet."

Barry, who had never received such a harsh word from her, looked upset and slammed the car door as he exited.

I continued to sleep in the guest room, and Ava didn't come to talk to me. I knew she wouldn't initiate a reconciliation, and that was fine. It allowed me to study in peace.

Early the next morning, when I woke up, I was surprised to find that Ava hadn't left for work yet. I initially thought she had taken another day off, so I was about to turn away.

"How about I drive you to work today?" she suggested tentatively.

"No, thanks. My colleague is already waiting for me," I replied.

"Colleague? Is it a man or a woman?" She asked curiously.

"It's a woman, but we're not going alone. A few of us are going together. She happens to be on the way and offered us a lift, and we're sharing the gas money as a token of appreciation," I explained.

I bought the car myself. Since her commute was longer, I let her use it, with an agreement that she would pick me up after work. Unfortunately, she always found excuses not to do so.

Over time, I got used to it. Meanwhile, my friend Anna bought a car recently. Seeing us all crammed in the subway and wasting time, she suggested that we split the gas money and she would drive us home, as we all lived along the same route.

After discussing, we agreed.

Ava saw me getting into the car. The moment I stepped in, she messaged me, "Why don't I drive you tomorrow? It's trouble for everyone otherwise."

"It's no trouble at all. Let's save it for next week. We've already split the gas for this week," I shot back before setting my phone aside.

After I finished my tasks, I checked my phone and noticed that Ava had sent me a slew of messages—about her meals, her work, and what she was doing with her colleagues.

I frowned, feeling a sense of déjà vu. Yes, this was the kind of thing I used to do for her, and now the roles had been reversed.

I flipped through the chat history and realized that I hadn't contacted her for quite a while. During this time, she had been the one messaging me.

At the end of the workday, the manager announced that he had moved to a new place and invited everyone to gather. In the past, I would have skipped it to spend more time with Ava.

After a few times, no one dared to invite me to the party. This time I asked, "Manager, where is it?"

The manager looked at me as if I were a monster, "Do you want to go too?"

I nodded.

Hearing this, my colleagues were all very happy. This time, the entire department would be there. On the way there, Ava called me.

"Andrew, I bought your favorite big shrimp. I'm making oil-braised shrimp for you tonight."

"No need. We're eating out tonight because of the manager's housewarming."

"I finally got off work early. Can you...?"

"No, I can't go. It wouldn't be good for my future work to offend the manager."

Actually, I was just saying that casually. Everyone knew our manager was easy-going.

"Then... after it's over, I'll come pick you up."

I looked at the sky. It was already night and there was no sun. What was Ava talking about?

I remembered a time when I arrived at the station late at night on a business trip and asked her to pick me up. She said Barry had a stomach issue and she couldn't leave the hospital.

I said, "It's still unclear what time it will be. You don't have to wait. I'll just take a taxi back myself after I'm done."

I thought that by saying this, Ava wouldn't come since she wasn't the patient type.

By the time we finished, it was already eleven o'clock. At the entrance, I saw Ava rushing towards me as soon as she spotted me. "How did you get this drunk?"

"Happy," I replied simply.

My colleagues helped me into the car and praised Ava for being virtuous.

In the car, after holding it in for a moment, I finally spoke up, "Ava, we need to talk..."

"Well, you're not clear-headed now. Let's talk another day or when I return from my business trip."

"Business trip? When?"

"Tomorrow!"

"Alright then, we'll talk when you get back," I closed my eyes to rest.

The next day before I even got up, Ava had already left. She would be gone for a week during which I didn't contact her. Instead, she reached out to me first.

I rarely replied.

On the weekend, while listening to an online class at home, my phone rang. It was Barry's call. After hesitating for a moment, I answered.

Barry told me that Ava was sick and in the First People's Hospital. After thinking it over, I decided to go visit her.

When I arrived, the doctor was changing her IV drip.

"So is this what you call a business trip?" I asked.

Ava's eyes flickered. "How did you know I was here?"