I Stressed for Months to Be With Them — They Were Never Planning to Be With Me Chapter 06

I Stressed for Months to Be With Them — They Were Never Planning to Be With Me Chapter 06

Refusing to accept it, Asher got a new phone number and called me repeatedly until I finally

answered.

He exhaled in relief, but his voice still carried the same patronizing confidence he had always used

with me.

“Claire, I know I messed up. Stop being angry and come home, okay? We can still start college

together.”

I almost laughed.

“Asher, I’m not throwing a tantrum. I’m simply done settling for less than I deserve.”

“You already let me down. Stay with Vanessa and stop trying to hold on to both of us.”

“I’m not! Vanessa and I…”

I didn’t let him finish.

“We’re over. There were always three people in our relationship, and there was never enough room

for me.”

“For years, I followed behind the two of you like I was invisible while you planned a future that

never included me.”

“Vanessa was right about one thing. People have to take responsibility for their own futures. Studying fine art abroad has been my dream for years.”

“Asher, let me go.”

I ended the call.

The call ended, and after standing motionless for a long moment, Asher opened our old messages

with unsteady hands.

The farther back he scrolled, the more clearly he saw everything he had ignored.

On the day college decisions came out, Claire sent him a long string of anxious messages.

he was terrified that she wouldn’t get into Bellgrave University.

But Asher was with Vanessa and never even opened them.

As he continued scrolling, he found countless messages in which she had tried to tell him how hurt

she was.

[Could you pay attention to me for once?]

His only response had been:

[Can you stop being so dramatic?]

He had always considered himself lucky that Claire was understanding and easygoing.

Only now did he realize that she had been hurting all along, swallowing every disappointment and compromising until she had nothing left to give.

Over the next several days, Asher moved through life in a daze.

Without thinking, he began keeping his distance from Vanessa and avoided every opportunity to be

alone with her.

Their classmates were still teasing him in the group chat, asking when he and Vanessa were finally going to make their relationship official.

This time, he didn’t dodge the question.

[There’s nothing between Vanessa and me.]

[Claire has always been my girlfriend.]

The chat exploded, and a close friend immediately messaged him privately.

[Wait, when did you and Claire start dating?]

Asher stared at the message.

[You seriously couldn’t tell?]

His friend replied bluntly.

[Man, you treated Vanessa like she was your girlfriend. We all assumed you two were together.]

“What?”

Only then did Asher fully understand that he had never maintained any boundaries with Vanessa.

Not long afterward, Vanessa stopped him outside his house, her eyes red from crying.

“Asher, I’ve loved you for a long time.”

“Claire’s gone now. Could you give me a chance? We understand each other, and we want all the same things.”

Asher looked at her without emotion.

“I’ve never loved you. The only reason I treated you well was because you were Claire’s friend.”

Vanessa stared at him in disbelief.

“Then what about all the times you protected me? What about the way you always took care of me? Was all of that fake?”

Her question forced him to confront the truth he had avoided for years.

He had never truly fallen for Vanessa; he had simply enjoyed how easily they understood each other and accepted her admiration without questioning it.

He had taken Claire’s love for granted while giving Vanessa all the patience and tenderness Claire

had deserved.

When he looked at Vanessa again, his expression was cold.

“I treated you that way because I never understood boundaries.”

“Everything that happened was my fault.”

“But there was never any chance of us being together, not then, not now, and not ever.”

Vanessa broke down and clutched his sleeve, but Asher pried her fingers loose and walked away.

When he returned home, his acceptance packet from Westmere University was still lying on the

table.

He kept replaying Claire’s words and everything he had done wrong.

Only one thought remained.

He would give up his place at Westmere University, fly to London, and win back the girl he had lost.

“Wait for me, Claire. This time, I’ll be the one following you.”