Part 1My Fiancé Loves Physics

When Larry White became obsessed with the double-slit experiment and missed our wedding for the ninety-ninth time, I didn't have a hysterical breakdown.

Instead, I calmly watched him as he rushed in, still wearing his white lab coat.

"The experimental data was fluctuating. I'm late."

I'd heard that line countless times. I thought he might at least offer an apology, but Larry simply grabbed a handful of wedding candy with a completely untroubled expression.

"Since everything's fine, I'll head out. Nina's waiting for me to tutor her."

Nina was his junior colleague, his protégé. And for their tutoring sessions, Larry never missed a single one.

I turned to see my parents, their shoulders slumped, apologizing to our guests. A wave of exhaustion and weariness washed over me.

Suddenly, I realized something. The groom didn't have to be him.

...

Larry didn't care about anything that wasn't related to physics. He'd even mistaken me for someone else on occasion. I used to think he was just lost in his own world, that he was like that with everyone.

But just now, the candies he'd grabbed were all Nina's favorites. Strawberry-flavored, wrapped in pretty foil.

Meanwhile, he’d never once remembered that I was allergic to flowers.

An angry rash of red hives was already blooming on my arms. I stared blankly at the yellow roses Larry had brought as a token apology. I thought of all the times I had lost my temper over his carelessness. He never explained, just creased his brow into fine, handsome lines and silently watched me vent until I was done.

Then he'd act as if nothing had happened.

"Ava!"

My mother turned and gasped at the sight of the red welts covering my skin. She and my dad rushed me to the hospital.

My consciousness began to fade, my mother's suppressed sobs echoing in my ears. "It's all your fault, David! You were the one who insisted on introducing Larry to Ava!"

My dad was Larry's university professor. He had seen Larry's potential and had been determined to set us up. I, in turn, had been captivated by Larry's cool, detached aura and chased after him relentlessly.

He had sighed once, telling me, "Ava, I don't know how to be in a relationship."

I had just blinked up at him, my voice bright. "That's okay! I'll teach you!"

He had smiled then. It's only now that I can finally read the helplessness and annoyance that were hidden in that smile.

My dad couldn't reach Larry. He called the university lab, his voice tight with anger, but they couldn't find him there either.

"Larry isn't here. I think he had something important to take care of."

"What could possibly be more important than his fiancée being hospitalized?"

Just as my dad roared the words into the phone, I looked up and saw him. Larry. He was supporting a pale-faced girl, helping her walk.

Larry, who always kept a respectable distance from everyone, had her tucked right against his side, without an inch of space between them. And this man of few words was fussing over her endlessly.

"Nina, the doctor said you have to take the fever medication every day, you can't..."

His words trailed off as his eyes met mine across the hallway.

So, Nina's minor fever was a crisis of epic proportions to him. Important enough to pull him away from his precious experiments.

I remembered the time I was harassed by a group of thugs on the street. I had frantically called Larry for help. His voice came through the phone, as cool and dispassionate as the clinking of glass beakers.

"It's no use calling me, Ava. The person you need to call right now is the police."

In Larry's eyes, I was no different from any other nameless stranger on the street.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, walking over, as if bestowing a great kindness.

Nina was still clinging to his arm, looking weak and apologetic. "Ava, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I bothered him so much on your wedding day."

I curved my lips into a smile. "Oh, don't worry. You can bother him as much as you want from now on."

"Because I'm not marrying him anymore."