2/2
Chapter 3
“Kade forgot my birthday because he has more important matters to deal with,” Yvette thought.
Yvette closed the tab with the half–played movie on her laptop. Then, she clicked on the WhatsApp app. It had been flickering due to constant incoming messages. Kade was chatting with Charlotte. He didn’t realize he had logged in on Yvette’s laptop, which allowed Yvette to see all of his conversations.
Yvette watched as the two chatted about their past, present, and future. Among the long messages, Kade never once mentioned Yvette to Charlotte.
Then again, what was there to mention? Yvette knew she was only a substitute to console Kade’s wounded heart in his eyes.
She stared at the lengthy, ongoing conversation and eventually closed the tab.
Yvette had a dreamless slumber that night.
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1/1
The next day, Yvette woke to the sound of the door bell ringing. She rubbed her eyes while walking to the living room. That was when she saw Kade, who had woken up at some point before her.
Kade held a flower bouquet and a boxed cake as he turned to face Yvette. “Yvie, did you order a cake? Why are you suddenly craving a cake?”
The room fell gravely silent for a few seconds before Yvette spoke up. “It’s my birthday. My friends probably had those delivered to me.”
Every muscle in Kade’s body stiffened when he heard that. He instinctively looked at the calendar on the wall. Only then did he realize it was already the 12th of July. He couldn’t believe he had forgotten about Yvette’s birthday.
A tinge of guilt flickered in Kade’s eyes as he put down the things in his hands at once. He nudged Yvette back into their bedroom and said, “It’s your birthday today, so let’s go on a date. What do you feel like having for breakfast?”
“No, I’m fine. Let’s just celebrate it at home.” Yvette turned down his suggestion.
Still, Kade insisted on going out to celebrate. He even picked a dress from their closet and brought it to her.
Yvette couldn’t win against him, so she had no choice but to wash up and follow him out the door.
The two went to their favorite restaurant for breakfast. Then, they watched the latest film at the cinema and shopped at the mall.
Yvette went to the washroom halfway through shopping. When she returned, Kade was on a phone call. He seemed to ask his family to help order a ludicrously expensive necklace. It happened to be the necklace she liked from a magazine half a month ago.
Mixed emotions filled Yvette’s chest when she saw how anxious Kade was. She didn’t quite understand what he was thinking. He remembered how her eyes lingered on the image of that necklace in the magazine. Yet, he somehow forgot about her most important birthday.
Could he really not tell which was more important? Yet, Yvette thought about it some more and felt he probably could.
After all, he saw Yvette as a substitute to pour his feelings for Charlotte onto before Charlotte returned to the country. That was why he paid extra attention to Yvette.
Now that Charlotte was back, all his attention shifted back to Charlotte. That was why he forgot everything to do with Yvette.
Yvette couldn’t will herself to be energized all morning. She was uninterested in everything that she saw while shopping.
Kade noticed the former’s mind was elsewhere, so he tousled her hair. “Why does our birthday girl seem a little unhappy? Are you dissatisfied with the arrangements I’ve made for you today?”
Thinking back on it, Yvette realized Kade liked to tousle her hair. Perhaps, deep down, he had always seen her as a little sister and not a lover.
Yvette shook her head at Kade. She was about to say she was tired and wanted to go home, but Kade hailed a cab just then. He then gave the driver an address to a restaurant called Hillside Nook
A confused expression shrouded Yvette’s face. To that, Kade arched a brow and said, “Didn’t you always want to meet my friends? Everyone’s free today, so I’ll introduce you to them. Would that make you happier?”
That sudden and surprising journey shocked Yvette.
Kade refused to meet Yvette’s family and friends before. So, Yvette insisted on meeting his friends instead. Yet, he would always come up with various reasons to turn her down. As time went on, she never brought it up again.
Kade was willing to introduce her to his friends because of the guilt in his heart now. Yet, Yvette had already made up her mind to leave Jurbane City. It seemed everything in this world occurred at strange and unpredictable times.
Yvette silently watched the scenery outside the window but said nothing.
The taxi stopped at the foot of a hill.
Kade held Yvette’s hand. He opened the heavy, front door to Hillside Nook while leading her inside.
A couple of loud pops filled the air as confetti showered on the couple. A group of rowdy people barged out the private room’s door to cheer, “Happy Birthday!”
Kade immediately pulled Yvette into his arms. While removing the confetti from the top of Yvette’s head, he shooed away his friends that warmly surrounded him.
“Hey, watch it! Don’t give my girl a fright. She tends to scare easily-” his voice faltered before he could finish speaking.
Kade’s expression tensed when he saw a familiar face in the crowd.
Meanwhile, Charlotte was unfazed as she smilingly approached the couple. “I haven’t participated in group activities in a long time since I’ve been abroad all these years, Kay. I heard you wanted to celebrate your girlfriend’s birthday this morning, so I wanted to join in. I’m not unwelcome here, am I?”
Kade coldly scanned his surroundings.
Everyone around lost the courage to look at him. They retreated, acting like the situation had nothing to do with them.
Sensing the tension in the air, Yvette politely extended an arm. She took the initiative to greet Charlotte. “You’re welcome to join. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Yvette.‘
Charlotte stared at Yvette for some time. Eventually, her eyes widened as though she had understood something. She shook the latter’s hand with a half–smile. “Nice to meet you. I’m Charlotte, Kay’s… friend. By the way, has anyone ever told you we look alike?”
