Once I land?
I let out a wry laugh, uncertain whether I would even make it home alive. Before I could say another word, he hung up.
My relationship with Keith had always been one-sided.
I was the only one who made any effort in the relationship. He had always remained stationary, almost indifferent.
We had been neighbors since childhood, and I had harbored a crush on him for a full decade.
In the tenth year, tragedy struck when he was involved in a car accident that nearly left him confined to a wheelchair for life.
His ex-girlfriend, Michelle, used studying abroad as an excuse to abandon him, running off to another country.
It was I who stayed by his bedside, nursing him back to health, and accompanying him on countless trips to seek medical help and undergo rehabilitation.
I kept vigil by his side day and night.
Perhaps out of gratitude, Keith finally accepted my affection. Those days, although challenging, brought me a deep sense of happiness.
It was obvious I loved him more than he loved me.
Then came our anniversary.
I had bought a cake and prepared a feast, eagerly waiting for him to come home from work. I waited from dusk until the early hours of the morning, but he never showed up.
I had called him multiple times.
“One of my colleagues called in sick, and I’m covering for him,” he had said when he finally answered.
“Is anyone even riding hot air balloons at this hour?” I asked.
“Don’t be suspicious. I’m just putting in some extra hours. The hot air balloons need maintenance too.”
“What time will you be back?” I asked him again.
“A little later.”
“Okay. I’ve made your favorite dishes, so please come home soon.”
As time went on, whenever I asked, his responses became more dismissive.
“I’ll be back later.”
All those ‘laters’ often stretched into the early hours of the morning.
Then there was the night I had heated his meal several times already when my phone suddenly pinged with a notification.
It was a post from Michelle.
[After such a long separation, we still have so much to talk about. How fortunate I am to have met you in this lifetime.]
