2 months after Clara and Max's wedding
November 2026, Autumn
San FranciscoWeighed down by two huge luggage and a pet carrier, I dragged myself out of the arrival hall. My mind was internally cursing at my lack of consideration to mail some of these things beforehand while my eyes scanned across the sea of people crowding behind the metal barrier.
Many of them held onto signs with names and designations written in all sorts of formatting while others waited excitedly for their family or friend to pass through the gates. Still, no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find Leon. Disappointment tugged at my heart as I reached for my bag and picked out my phone.
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R: I'm arriving at San Fran tomorrow. Come pick me up, please?
R: Love you!
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When I checked the conversation window this morning it was still left unread. The same single tick indicating that message had not been read still remained. I exhaled and closed my eyes for a moment.
Since Clara and Max's wedding, Leon had been acting weird. I thought that his expression when I caught the bouquet was a clear sign that we are going to move our relationship forward. But since then, he had been avoiding me. He had claimed to be busy and even refusing to call on some days. He started sleeping at odd hours that vastly differed from the disciplined routine that he insisted on following on most days.
I freed Cotton from the carrier and placed it in my handbag before swinging the handles of my two luggage and went towards the pick-up point to call for a cab. I provided the driver Leon's address before I plugged into my music and sat in silence for the entire car ride.
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I stood in front of Leon's house, jaw-dropped and captivated by the aesthetic exterior of his house. I remembered him mentioning that he had moved house earlier in the year and he even gave me a house tour during one of our video call sessions. I also recalled the amount of praise he threw at himself for the design of the house. Witnessing the house now, I guess he wasn't bragging when he exaggerated how great his house is.
My fingers raised to ring on the doorbell but an automatic response sounded, "The owner of the house is currently not at home. Please leave a message after the tone."
A beep followed and I groaned, "Damn it."
"Thank you, your response has been recorded," the system responded.
"Ugh, don't record that," I whined. Regardless of where Leon moved, his doorbell has never liked me even once.
I tried dialling his number but the call failed to go through as well. Sitting on one of the luggage, I pulled Cotton out of my bag and petted it.
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Status Quo | ✓
Romance❝𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒂 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒔 𝒒𝒖𝒐?❞ ━━━━━━━━━━ Rachelle Anderson moved to Massachusetts for two reasons: to pursue her dream of being a cellist and to pursue her childhood friend, Leon Taylor. Rachelle and Leon had been fri...