He Took Her To The Lake We Promised To See Together Chapter 01

He Took Her To The Lake We Promised To See Together Chapter 01

When I was eighteen, Ethan Cole and I made a promise. After college, we would go to Boston and spend Christmas at Moonsea Lake.

He said that once we walked the Moonsea Promenade together, we’d start the next chapter of our lives together.

Four years later, we came to Boston just as we had promised.

But right before we were supposed to head out, a sudden pain twisted through my stomach, forcing me to stay at the hotel.

By evening, I had taken my medicine, but I still couldn’t bear to miss the night I’d been looking forward to for four years. So I went to Moonsea Lake alone.

The moment I reached Silver Arch Bridge, I saw Ethan kissing my best friend beneath the old oak tree, her back pressed against the trunk.

Our childhood friend, Mason Reed, stood nearby with his phone raised, laughing as he took pictures of them.

Sophie Bennett tugged at Ethan’s sleeve.

“What if Emma finds out?”

Mason raised an eyebrow. “You two have been together for six months. You’re still worried about her finding out?”

Sophie looked up at Ethan. “How much longer are you going to make me wait?”

Ethan looked out at the Christmas lights reflected on Moonsea Lake and answered evenly.

“She’s been looking forward to this for four years. I had to come here with her at least once.”

He brushed an oak leaf from Sophie’s hair and pulled her gently into his arms.

“But every Christmas after this, you’re the only one I want beside me.”

Their laughter blended into the noise of the crowd. None of them noticed me standing by the bridge.

I slipped off the ring Ethan had given me, placed it on a bench by the lake, and turned away.

At eighteen, I’d believed that as long as we kept our promise, we’d stay together forever.

That Christmas, I finally understood.

Moonsea was never the point.

And there was no future left for Ethan and me.

…

By the time I got back to the hotel, my stomach hurt so badly I could barely stand straight.

A Christmas fair was underway in the lobby. Staff in festive costumes moved through the crowd carrying glowing reindeer lanterns, while children chased one another with Christmas cookies in their hands.

The front desk clerk took one look at my pale face and hurried over to steady me.

“Ms. Parker, would you like me to contact your friends?”

I shook my head.

“No. I’m fine on my own.”

Not long after I took my medicine, I heard Mason laughing outside the room.

“That last picture was perfect. Straight out of a movie.”

The door opened.

Ethan stopped short when he saw me sitting on the edge of the bed.

Sophie was wearing his coat and holding a glowing reindeer lantern in her arms.

Mason tossed a paper bag onto the table.

“We brought you roast turkey. Eat it while it’s warm.”

The takeout box had already gone cold, and cinnamon-shortbread crumbs clung to the opening of the bag.

They’d probably finished eating and having fun before they finally remembered there was still one more person waiting back at the hotel.

Ethan walked over, his gaze dropping to the damp hem of my dress.

“You went out?”

“Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

It sounded like a reprimand, but his eyes stayed fixed on me. He was testing me.

I put my stomach medication back into my bag.

“There wasn’t any water in the room. I went downstairs to buy a bottle.”

“That’s all?”

“With my stomach hurting like this, where else could I have gone?”

The tension finally left his face.

“It’s crowded outside. Don’t wander off by yourself.”

He thought I hadn’t gone to Moonsea Lake, much less seen that kiss under the old oak tree.

Sophie set another paper bag on the table.

Inside were three cinnamon-scented ornaments, three commemorative holiday pins, and three Christmas fair stamp cards covered in stamps.

There was nothing for me.

She noticed where I was looking and immediately explained.

“You had to participate in person to get these. We couldn’t get any for you.”

Mason held up one of the pins.

“Besides, your stomach was killing you. You wouldn’t have had fun anyway.”

Ethan added casually, “She’s not into this kind of thing.”

He sounded so certain, as if he hadn’t been the boy who’d once searched half the city with me for a glowing reindeer lantern when we were eighteen.

Back then, he’d promised to give me a new one every Christmas.

Four years had passed, and I never got mine.

Sophie was already holding hers.

Two little reindeer leaned against each other beneath the lights. A line of text was printed underneath them.

Together this Christmas, together every Christmas.

Mason laughed.

“They won that in the couples’ Christmas trivia challenge.”

Sophie’s cheeks flushed.

“It wasn’t a couples’ challenge. They just paired people up at random.”

“Random, huh? Then how’d you get all ten questions right? Ethan even knew your favorite Christmas cookie.”

Ethan didn’t deny it.

He took out a red gift box divided into exactly three sections. Each cookie had a last name stamped on top: Cole, Bennett, Reed.

Again, there was nothing for me.

Ethan noticed me looking.

“They only had gift boxes for three left. And with your stomach acting up, you can’t eat them anyway.”

It was always like this.

They hadn’t forgotten me.

Apparently, I just couldn’t eat it, didn’t like it, or had no use for it.

As long as the excuse sounded reasonable enough, I wasn’t supposed to be hurt about being left out.

Sophie suddenly sucked in a breath.

Her new shoes had rubbed her heel raw, and a small spot of blood had seeped through her sock.

Ethan immediately crouched down.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I was having too much fun playing ring toss. I didn’t notice.”

Ethan noticed the bag of medicine beside me and picked it up without asking.

“Do you have a Band-Aid?”

It contained only my stomach medicine and my appointment confirmation.

He rummaged through it, then tossed it back onto the table.

“You didn’t bring anything else?”

I had packed the medication I needed for my own trip.

Why would I have thought to prepare Band-Aids for Sophie?

“The front desk has a first-aid kit,” I said.

Ethan was already helping her to her feet.

“Come on. I’ll take you downstairs and get that cleaned up.”

Sophie leaned against him and asked quietly, “What about Emma? She doesn’t look well either.”

Ethan glanced back at me.

“She already took her meds. She just needed some rest.”

Mason followed them toward the door.

“We can check what time the holiday candle-lighting ceremony starts while we’re down there. If we’re late, we won’t get a good spot.”

The door shut behind them, and the room went quiet.

I opened my laptop.

The invitation to join the Southwest Heritage Imaging Project was still sitting in my inbox.

The project would last a full year, and I was due to report in two days.

My faculty advisor had urged me to accept three times.

I’d kept putting off my answer because Ethan wanted us to start a creative media studio together after graduation.

But now, who he spent Christmas with and who he chose to share those nights with had nothing to do with me anymore.

I opened the email and typed one line.

[Professor, I’ve decided to accept the invitation.]