Reunion with Ex - Boyfriend Trouble

Brayden had a childhood friend named Adalynn, someone who grew up alongside him. Her father used to work as Brayden's father's chauffeur. During a tragic sea accident, he sacrificed himself to save Brayden’s father, but unfortunately, he didn’t return alive.

Brayden's father, Arturo, was a man with strong principles. Without hesitation, he took in Adalynn and her mother, vowing to treat Adalynn as his own daughter and to care for them both indefinitely.

Adalynn was constantly by Brayden's side, even after we started dating, tagging along on our walks to and from school. This led to countless arguments between Brayden and me. When Adalynn finally stopped joining us, I felt a wave of relief. But then, just a few days later, she was back, leaning on Brayden for support.

"I'm sorry, Evelyn," she said with a sweet, apologetic smile. "I know you'd prefer I didn’t join you, but I twisted my ankle, and Brayden insisted on walking me home."

Brayden's attention was completely on her, his brow furrowed as he gently scolded her. "You twisted your ankle and didn’t tell me? Were you planning to hop home if I hadn’t come to get you? Hop on."

I still remember that day vividly. Brayden carried Adalynn on his back, walking ahead of me. She lay against him, sharing stories from their childhood, leaving no room for me in their conversation.

She whimpered teasingly, "Brayden, my foot hurts so much!"

I had never heard Brayden speak so softly, "Does it really hurt that much? What should we do?"

"I want a spiced honey cake from that bakery on the corner, the priciest one!"

"Alright, I’ll take you home first, then go get it for you."

"Brayden, can I walk with you again in the future? When I walk alone, those guys outside the school stare at me, and it freaks me out."

Brayden's brow furrowed more deeply, "Why didn’t you tell me sooner? I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning, and from now on, you’re not walking alone."

Adalynn smiled and glanced back at me. "Okay."

…

As the sun set, their shadows stretched long and intertwined, inseparable. I was drifting further and further behind, yet Brayden never looked back to check on me.

Only after he had safely delivered Adalynn home did he finally turn to me and say, "I need to get that cake for Adalynn. I won’t be walking you home today."

"Evelyn, you should head back on your own."

I watched him for a long moment before turning away and walking home.