I Stopped Waiting And Traveled Alone Chapter 01

I Stopped Waiting And Traveled Alone Chapter 01

It was our fifth dating anniversary, and Hayes had overslept yet again.

I was sitting at the vanity, putting on my false eyelashes when he woke up.

He wore a guilty look. “I’ve been dealing with jet lag. Cut me some slack.”

For the past month, he and his labmate Hannah had been flying all over the world, collecting ocean samples.

I calmly capped my mascara. “It’s fine. I have plans with my friends later. No point wasting a perfectly good makeup look.”

He let out a breath of relief, yet something about his expression felt off.

There was a time when I would’ve thrown a full-blown fit, sobbing and picking a fight with him over this.

Hayes wrapped his arms around me from behind, chuckling. “My girl’s really grown up. Hey, I saw your new Instagram post. Where’d you go?”

“Salvinton,” I replied flatly. “Right around the time you were in Bexley.”

He froze completely.

Traveling to Salvinton with Hayes to watch the ocean had been a trip I’d begged him to take on our one-year dating anniversary. He’d always said we’d go when he had time.

Second anniversary. Third. Fourth. Each time, he told me to be more reasonable, then took off for another far-flung destination with Hannah.

Five years into our relationship, I’d finally stopped waiting.

Turns out, solo travel could be pretty great.

——

After a long, stiff pause, Hayes huffed a laugh. “You went to Salvinton by yourself? C’mon, don’t kid me, babe.”

I dropped my gaze. His reaction didn’t surprise me. In his social circle, I was known as that clingy girlfriend who couldn’t function without him.

Our relationship had started back in high school. I’d grown far too dependent on Hayes.

I ran every little thing by him—from picking outfits all the way to choosing my college major. Even a few seconds without a reply would send me spiraling.

He pinched my cheek. “You little firecracker, can’t you act your age? I know I haven’t been around much lately. Once this project wraps up, we’ll head down to Salvinton, just like you’ve always wanted.”

He leaned in to kiss me, like he always did. I subtly shifted away. “I just put lipstick on.”

He blinked, raking his eyes over me, falling back into his old habit of judging my choices. “The white shoes look better. Those red heels are too flashy; they don’t suit you.”

I slipped on the red stilettos. “I think these look better.”

I smiled at his stunned face. “Didn’t you tell me I should make up my own mind?”

His mouth fell open. In the end, all he said was he’d pick me up later that night.

Dinner with my friends wrapped up, and Hayes’s car was nowhere to be seen.

I waited another half-hour inside the restaurant and was about to call an Uber when his familiar black sedan pulled up.

I pulled open the passenger-side door—only to find someone already sitting there.

Hannah, Hayes’s labmate, pouted. “Jenna, it’s all my fault. I had no clue it was your anniversary. Otherwise I wouldn’t have dragged Hayes along to help me pick out a birthday gift for a friend and kept you waiting so long…”

Hayes jumped in to explain. “Work took me near that mall, it was just a coincidence. Don’t overthink it.”

“The lab needs me to process some urgent data. I’ll drive you home first.” He glanced over at Hannah, wetting his lips. “Hannah gets carsick. Let her sit up front.”

He eyed me nervously, clearly afraid I’d lash out and go off on her.

I said nothing and climbed into the backseat. He shot me a surprised glance.

The whole ride, they chattered away about research stuff I couldn’t follow, laughter drifting back to me every now and then.

I sat in the back, fighting waves of sickness, feeling like a total outsider.

The road grew bumpy. Hannah spilled her drink. Digging for napkins inside the glove compartment, she pulled out a plush toy instead.

Her eyes lit up. “This is so cute! You’re a Spider-Man fan too, Hayes?”

Hayes’s lips tugged upward. “Yeah. You can have it, if you like it.”

My head snapped up.

Spider-Man was Hayes’s favorite superhero. I’d hand-knit that plush for his birthday the year before. I’d pricked my fingers over and over, leaving them sore and dotted with tiny pinpricks.

“Hannah,” I spoke at last.

Hayes sighed, already expecting drama. “Jenna, don’t be so petty. I’ll take you to see the new Spider-Man movie this weekend.”

I cut him off. I just leaned forward, plucked the hair clip off the plush’s head, and fell silent again.

Hannah happily stuffed the toy into her bag.

Hayes hesitated for a split second, almost stopping her. But when he met Hannah’s innocent stare, he swallowed his words.

He kept glancing at me through the rear-view mirror, his brows drawn tight.

I closed my eyes to rest.

He seemed to have forgotten: there’s only one MJ for Spider-Man.

I didn’t even want the man anymore. Why would I care about the toy?