Part 3My Fiancé Loves Physics

Maybe it was my imagination, but Larry's tone suddenly sounded much lighter.

"When's the date?"

Even though the wedding had nothing to do with him anymore, I told him. "A week from today."

"Okay. I got it."

Just as he was about to hang up, I heard a sweet, playful shriek from his end of the line.

"Larry, where did you put my pajamas?"

Clatter.

The phone slipped from my grasp, and my head started to buzz.

They... they were sleeping together?

The thought alone was enough to make my eyes burn. A memory I had tried so hard to bury came rushing back.

It was shortly after Larry and I had started dating. I begged him to introduce me to his colleagues and juniors. Unlike the others, who were all worn down and lifeless from their experiments, Nina was a constant ball of sunshine.

That night, everyone was teasing Larry, pressuring him to drink. They kept asking him who the person he loved most in the world was.

The alcohol had flushed his face, his eyes glassy behind his rimless glasses. He was drunk. And his subconscious answered for him.

"It's Nina..."

The entire room fell silent.

I twisted my fingers together in my lap, forcing a smile. I tried to convince them, and myself, "He meant Ava! He said Ava!"

The awkward moment passed, but I stubbornly clung to Larry's side, believing that time would prove everything.

But after eight years of chasing him, I was just so tired.

Now that I was no longer in the way, it was only natural for them to get together. So, I prepared myself to forget him. I started by throwing away all the complex LEGO sets he'd given me. I never actually liked those brainy puzzles; what I loved was the process of building them with him.

But Larry was always too busy. So I would secretly hide a few pieces, hoping it would make him stay with me a little longer.

His sharp eyes, however, saw right through me.

"You hid the pieces, didn't you," he stated, not asked. "Ava, I don't have time for your games. Nina is waiting for me to run some test data."

Nina had always been a thorn in my side. The moment I heard her name, I would become sharp and bitter.

"Are you like this with Nina, too?"

He seemed to pause for a second before stating a simple fact. "Nina isn't boring like you."

That casual remark shattered my defenses.

Three days before the wedding, my dad left an important file at home and asked me to bring it to the university. I took a shortcut through the physics building.

I had barely stepped inside when Nina blocked my path, her face set in a stern expression. "Ava, Larry is busy with his experiment right now. You should stop harassing him."

Nearby students started whispering.

"Wow, that's Larry's doormat fiancée."

"Such a shame. I totally ship him and Nina."

I frowned. Hadn't Larry told them we broke up?

My phone was buzzing nonstop with calls from my dad. I didn't have time to explain. "I'm in a hurry," I said, trying to move past her.

"No!" Nina shoved me.

My feet tangled, and for a heart-stopping second, I realized I was at the top of a three-story staircase.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back from the edge. I turned, my fear instantly replaced by a joyful surprise.

"What are you doing here?"