"Come on, be honest. Have you ever slept with Keira?"

The guy's deep voice stopped me just as I was about to walk in. Peeking through the crack in the door, I spotted Jace Johnston lounging in a fancy chair, his thin lips pressed together.

"She made a move, but I'm not into her," he said.

"Don't say that. Keira's a real catch around here. Lots of guys are into her," replied Steve Smith, Jace's friend, who knew all about our ten-year history.

Jace frowned. "We just know each other too well, you know?"

When I was fourteen, I was sent to the Johnston residence and met Jace for the first time. Everyone told me he'd be my future husband. Since then, we'd lived together for ten years.

"Exactly. You guys work at the same company, spend the whole day together, then head home to eat at the same table. You probably even know each other's bathroom schedule by now," Steve teased.

He continued, "These days, relationships thrive on mystery and the excitement of wanting what you can't have. That's what keeps things interesting."

Jace stayed silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Steve's words.

"Will you marry her?" Steve's question made my breath catch. Jace's parents wanted us to get married, but he never gave a clear answer, and I never asked him. Steve was asking for me.

Jace stayed quiet.

Steve chuckled. " You don't want to marry her?"

"It's not that."

"So, you do want to marry her, but you're feeling conflicted, huh?" Steve, having grown up with Jace, understood him perfectly.

"Have you heard this saying?" Jace asked with a faint smile.

"What?"

"Some girls are like plain crackers: lacking flavor, but folks still nibble on them." Jace lit a cigarette. The smoke blurred the face I had loved for a decade.

My heart clenched as I thought, 'So, I've become something he found hard to discard but had no taste for.'

"So, are you marrying her or not?" Steve pressed.

Jace glanced at him. "Why are you so interested? Do you have a thing for her too? How about I just hand her over to you?"

His words made me feel like I was something he could give away casually. Even a pet would earn some affection after ten years. But I was nothing to him, while he was everything to me.

His words cut deep, and I felt a lump in my throat. I looked down at the marriage license application form in my hand and bit my lip hard.

Steve chuckled. "What are you talking about? I'd never go after my friend's girl. I'm not that desperate."

Jace stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. "Get lost. You're getting on my nerves."

"It's not me that's bugging you, it's Keira. If you're not really into her, just let her go. Don't waste her time," Steve said, grabbing his coat from the couch and heading for the door.

As Steve opened the door, he saw me standing outside and froze. Then, he rubbed his nose awkwardly, realizing I had overheard their conversation.

He forced a smile. "Looking for Jace? He's inside."

My fingers felt numb as I gripped the form, unable to speak.

Steve glanced at the paper in my hand and moved closer. "Take a moment and really think about what you want." He brushed past me and left.

The form in my hand felt like it weighed a ton. After a moment, I took a deep breath, swallowed hard, and pushed the door open.

Jace looked up at the sound, his eyes meeting mine. I didn't need a mirror to know how bad I looked.

"Not feeling well?" he asked, frowning a little.

I walked silently to his desk, swallowing the bitterness in my throat. "If you don't want to marry me, I can tell your mom."

Jace's frown deepened. He knew I'd heard his conversation with Steve.

My throat felt tight. "I didn't think I'd become something 'lacking flavor'. Jace—"

"Rea, in everyone's eyes, we're already married," Jace interrupted me.

Rea was my nickname ever since I started living with the Johnstons.

'So what? He wants to marry me for appearances?'

I wanted him to marry me because he loved me and wanted to spend his life with me.

With a snap, Jace closed the pen and looked at the marriage license application form I was holding. "Next Wednesday, we'll get the license."

These were the words I'd been waiting for, but they made me feel awful, really awful...

I looked down, shaking my head slightly. "Jace, you don't have to force yourself. I don't need your charity."

"Keira Kay!" he called my full name firmly.

I trembled, looking up to meet his impatient eyes as he reached out his hand. Tightening my grip on the form, I saw his jaw clench.

"Give it to me," he demanded.

I stayed still. The tension hung in the air.

After a few seconds, he stood in front of me and sighed softly, with a hint of exasperation. "I was joking with Steve. Did you really take it seriously?"

'Was it really a joke?'

He added, "You know men like to save face." His hand slid from my arm to my hand, gently taking the form from me.

"Don't jump to conclusions." He turned and put the form in a drawer, grabbing his coat. "I have to go out for a bit."

Lately, he had been going out a lot, and each time, he'd be gone for a long time.

"Jace," I called out, "do you like me?"

He stopped and stared at me with dark, intense eyes. After a moment, he smiled, a faint dimple appearing on his left cheek.

Jace's smile had always been charming and warm. I remembered the first time I arrived at the Johnston residence; he walked up to me with that same smile and called my name. That smile warmed my heart and made me fall for him completely. Even now, I still loved his smile.

My head suddenly felt heavy as he ruffled my hair. "Of course, I like you. Why else would I go all the way across town to get your favorite baked pears, bring you roses every birthday, watch shooting stars with you, and... want to marry you?"

Every time I wavered, just a smile from Jace and a few sweet words would make me surrender. I felt like a kite, with one end of the string firmly in his grasp. He controlled my emotions at will, according to his mood.

But his conversation with Steve had affected me deeply. This time, his words didn't pacify me like they used to. I looked into his eyes. "Is it a romantic kind of like?"

As soon as I finished speaking, he stopped smiling and paused his hand on my head.

He moved his hand to my cheek and gently pinched it. "Don't overthink it. Let's head home after work. You love fish, right? I got some fresh salmon delivered, and I'll cook it for you tonight."

He walked away, avoiding my question as he had many times before.

I could still smell his hand cream on my nose and feel the warmth of his palm on my cheek, but my heart felt cold.

He treated me well, pampered me, and liked me, but it felt more like family affection than a romantic love.

Yet, my heart was full of him. I had loved him for ten years.

I couldn't help but think, 'So, what should I do? Marry him and live a dull, unromantic life? Or leave him and let him find his true love?'

I spent the whole day thinking about this question. By the time Jace came to get me in the afternoon, I still didn't have an answer, but I followed him anyway.

Habit is a tough thing. After ten years, I had gotten used to him and going home to the Johnston residence after work.

"Why aren't you talking?" Jace probably sensed my mood and started the conversation.

I was quiet for a few seconds. "Jace, maybe we should--"

Before I could finish, his phone rang. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number, but I noticed his grip on the steering wheel tighten.

He was nervous, which was rare.

I looked at his face, but he quickly disconnected the call from the car's Bluetooth and switched to his earpiece. "Hello... Yes, I'm on my way."

The call was brief. He hung up and looked at me. "I've got something urgent to handle, so I can't give you a ride home."

It wasn't the first time. Even if he hadn't said anything, I knew he was going to leave me behind. But I still hoped he might take me home first.

A sharp pain hit my heart, and I held back my sadness. "Is something wrong?"

Jace's jaw tightened. He didn't answer. Instead, he stared out the window and said, "I'll drop you off up here. You can catch a cab home."

He didn't even bother to explain and had already made arrangements.

What could I say? Questioning him or making a fuss would only humiliate myself.

"Let me know when you get home... Shoot me a text." He said while parking on the side of the road.

I tightened my grip on my bag and got out of the car.

It wasn't my imagination. From his reaction to the call to his refusal to let me hear it over the car speaker, I had a bad feeling.

But I said nothing.

Obviously, he was doing something behind my back, but I kept pretending otherwise.

"Be careful!" He gave me a reminder before leaving in a hurry, but in the end, he drove off without a second thought.

I stood there, staring in the direction he left for a long while, then I looked down at my toes.

My phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket. It was my best friend, Lena Lane, calling.

"Hey Rea, where are you? Want to have dinner?"

Lena was an obstetrician and gynecologist. Despite being young and single, she had extensive experience in delivering babies.

"Sure," I agreed without hesitation.

Lena immediately teased, "Did hell freeze over today? You always say you need to check with Jace first. Why'd you agree so quickly?"

A lump formed in my chest. For ten years, I'd lived like Jace's sidekick, always checking in with him before hanging out with Lena, afraid he'd freak out if he couldn't find me.

But Jace's words today made me realize I had become a burden to him.

"Are you at the hospital or at home?" I didn't answer Lena and asked instead.

Lena gave me an address and told me to go there.

***

"What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Jace?" Lena immediately sensed something was off when she saw me.

She was one of my few friends, and I didn't hide anything from her.

After listening, Lena cursed, "What a jerk! Saying you're 'lacking flavor'? As if he's slept with you a thousand times!"

Her words didn't comfort me. Instead, they made me feel humiliated. In all the years I'd been with Jace, we had never been intimate.

There were moments of closeness, like that one time I got drunk and made a move on him, but he just wrapped me up and sent me back to my room.

I used to think Jace respected me, not wanting to take advantage of me when I was drunk. Today I realized he just wasn't interested in me.

Didn't they say if a man really loved a woman, he'd want to sleep with her?

But Jace never showed any desire for me.

"Lena, I think I'm ready to let go."

The difficult question I had been wrestling with all day suddenly had an answer.

"Good, I support you," Lena clinked her glass with mine. "There are plenty of hunks out there, and with your looks, you can have your pick. Why settle for a two-timing jerk?"

Lena was right. At eighteen, I won a beauty pageant. If Jace hadn't stopped me, I'd probably be a celebrity by now.

With my beauty, I had received countless admirers and suitors over the years, but none of them moved me.

'Because the only one I want is Jace!' The thought made my nose sting. I didn't want Lena to see me cry, so I hurried to the restroom.

In my rush, I collided with someone coming out, knocking them down and landing on top of them.

Just as I was about to apologize, the person screamed, "Help! She's molesting me!"

......