I Lost 90 Pounds, Only To Find He Tried To Give Me Away Chapter 08

I Lost 90 Pounds, Only To Find He Tried To Give Me Away Chapter 08

“Who was that guy?”

It took Theo a while to ask.

“Just some guy from my class. Why?”

Theo’s shoulders loosened a little.

“Oh. No reason.”

“By the way, that bag I told you about is in the back seat. Check it out.”

I turned around. Sure enough, there was a gift box on the seat.

Inside was a Chanel Medium Classic Flap.

It was gorgeous. The kind of gorgeous that whispered a very specific price tag.

“This is way too much.” I stared at it. “I can’t take this.”

“That’s what boyfriends are for.” He glanced over at me.

“Wait… are you breaking up with me? Did I blow it?”

Theo started spiraling. “I knew I shouldn’t have let that stylist touch my hair. My hair looks terrible, doesn’t

it?”

“I’ve been working out and stressing over everything for weeks just to look good for you. Is it still not

enough?”

“If there’s something you don’t like, just tell me. I’ll fix it.”

“No!” God, where was all this coming from? “I’m not breaking up with you.”

“Then why won’t you take the gift? I spent forever picking it out.”

Before I could answer, he kept going.

“When you pick your classes, tell me which ones. I’ll sign up for the same ones so we can go together.”

“What do you want for breakfast tomorrow? I’ll bring you coffee and bagels.”

“Just keep the bag. I got it just for you. If you don’t want it, I’ll have to throw it away.”

I looked at him. A helpless laugh slipped out.

“Okay.”

The dinner hadn’t felt as satisfying as I’d imagined it would.

There was a time I hated Nolan for what he did to me.

He could’ve just ended things. Instead, he tricked me. Passed me off to a stranger like I was nothing.

And I still didn’t love that Theo had hidden the truth from me.

But he… actually seemed like a good person.

Maybe I could give this a real shot.

I didn’t think Nolan would actually keep coming after me.

Whenever Theo wasn’t in class with me, Nolan would appear.

He walked right up and sat down next to me.

“Tessa, is this seat taken?”

I barely looked up. “We aren’t friends, Nolan. And I’d rather you didn’t sit here.”

I picked up my book and moved.

It didn’t stop him. He showed up again the next day.

One day, it was breakfast. The next, boba. The day after that, buying coffee for everyone in my study group.

Meanwhile, he went cold on Sienna.

I saw Sienna bring him coffee and pastries from an expensive bakery one morning. He told her to take it

back.

She said something I couldn’t hear, her voice tight. Nolan tossed the bag in the trash without looking at her.

Once he was done with Sienna, he came after me with everything he had.

Every day, someone showed up with flowers and expensive Milk Bar cakes, all from him.

Then he sent me a bag.

A Chanel bag, of all things. The irony almost made me laugh.

He sat down next to me, chin propped on his hand. “You like it? If you don’t, I’ll get you something else.”

I’d had enough. “I don’t want it. Stop sending me stuff.”

“But I got it for you. If you don’t want it, I’ll just have to toss it.” The same line Theo had used.

I picked up the bag and the cake and shoved them both right off the desk into the trash.

It wasn’t my money. Why should I care?

That finally cracked his composure.

‘Tessa, honestly… haven’t I been doing everything right?”

“My boyfriend treats me just fine. If I want something, I’ll ask him. I don’t need it from you.”

“Theo, right? I know him.” Nolan’s eyebrows went up. “I’m way better than him. Whatever he’s giving you, I can double it.”

Watching Nolan regret what he’d done had felt satisfying at first. Now it was just exhausting.

I did like him once.

But the person who stayed on the phone with me all night. The person who told me he was there when I

cried.

The person who rallied an entire chat room just to cheer me up.

That person and the one standing in front of me didn’t even look like the same man.

And now I saw Nolan for what he really was. Hollow.

His version of love never went deeper than a face.

He didn’t know how to love anyone. He never had.

I stood up.

“I don’t like you. Stop coming around.”

I was done wasting time on Nolan. He wasn’t worth it.