Our Three-Person Chat Only Had Two Speakers Chapter 09

Our Three-Person Chat Only Had Two Speakers Chapter 09

Chloe clutched the envelope and suddenly threw her arms around me.

She cried her heart out.

As if crying out all the grievances and regrets she had bottled up over the years.

Her face buried in my shoulder, her voice trembling.

She murmured over and over,

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Mia, I’m so sorry…”

“It was only after going through so much that I realized how good you were to me. Can we still…”

“There is no ‘we’ anymore.”

I interrupted her calmly.

“From now on, there’s only you and me.”

I gently but firmly pushed her away, looking at her tear-streaked makeup, at her face that no longer held any pride.

“I wish you a happy marriage, but that’s all.”

“I won’t stay for the reception, I have things to do. I’ll take my leave.”

With that, I let go and turned to leave.

Just a few steps away, a familiar voice called out to me from behind.

—

“Mia.”

It was Ryan.

Chloe let go of my arm and whispered in my ear,

“I’m sorry, everything back then was my fault.”

“You two… rarely meet, have a good chat. I’ll go inside and host the guests.”

With that, she lifted her heavy skirt and walked toward the banquet hall.

I didn’t know where her husband was, maybe he found greeting guests tedious, or maybe he just didn’t care.

I didn’t think about it anymore.

I turned to look at Ryan, who had hurried up to me.

He had lost a lot of weight, standing in front of me, panting.

“Is there anything else?”

“If it’s more words trying to win me back, please don’t. There’s no point.”

He stared at me, his eyes slowly turning red, asking me with humility and pain,

“Can I… love you all over again?”

The wind blew through the street corner, swirling a few fallen leaves.

I looked at him and slowly shook my head.

—

“No.”

“I really can’t, Ryan.”

“Let’s stop dragging this out. Chloe’s married, you should have your own life, and I’ll get married someday and have a new family. Let the past be completely in the past.”

Ryan stood there.

Suddenly, tears fell, large drops rolling down his cheeks, looking exceptionally pathetic at his age.

He choked out, begging me,

“But I can’t move on.”

“Mia, I really can’t move on. I’ll never be able to move on in this lifetime.”

I didn’t say anything else, just gave him one last look, drawing a final line under these absurd years.

“But I already have.”

“Goodbye, Ryan.”

I walked away in long strides, the sound of Ryan’s muffled crying behind me.

At the airport, as I sat in the departure lounge.

Three young kids were sitting in the row ahead, probably just finished their finals, traveling together, chattering excitedly about what to do after landing.

—

It reminded me of the year we graduated high school.

Me, Chloe, and Ryan, the three of us.

Back then, we were just like them, arms around each other’s shoulders at the airport, promising to be friends for life, to watch each other walk down the aisle, to be godparents to each other’s kids.

Chloe had said,

“We’re going to be friends forever. When I get married, you two will be my best man and maid of honor.”

Ryan had his arm around my shoulder back then, swearing,

“Then we’ll stay together forever, never apart.”

Those words still echoed in my ears.

But now, one was married, and the other had become a stranger.

The airport announcement for boarding chimed again, and the three kids in front hurriedly got up to leave. The boy in the lead was busy talking to the other girl.

They walked so fast they actually left the short-haired girl behind.

The girl froze, clutching her boarding pass tightly, standing there.

My heart clenched.

But the next second, the two of them stopped in their tracks.

Without hesitation, almost simultaneously, they turned around and ran back to the girl left behind.

—

“Sorry, sorry, Sophie, we walked too fast!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s my fault, I was too busy discussing your fear of flying with Lily. Don’t be mad.”

“Add him on social media? Nah. He’s your boyfriend, just tell me if you need anything.”

“I think it’s weird too. Anyway, as long as you’re here, just pass the message. Come on, boarding’s starting.”

The girl named Sophie immediately smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

The three of them regrouped.

Walking toward the gate, their figures blending into the crowd, inseparable.

I stood there, watching their backs, my eyes suddenly burning.

So that’s how it is.

At the crossroads of choice, those who truly love you will always stop without hesitation and turn back to run toward you.

I don’t have regrets anymore.

Truly, no regrets at all.

—

The boarding announcement called my flight.

I picked up my bag and walked toward the gate.

Behind me, the three kids were still laughing, their voices fading into the noise of the terminal.

I thought about the promise I’d made to myself on that Italian balcony, and again in the Swiss Alps.

That my life didn’t need to be dramatic. It only needed to be peaceful.

And that was exactly what I was going to give myself.

I found my seat, settled in, and watched the city shrink beneath me as the plane lifted off.

Somewhere down there, Ryan was still crying. Chloe was celebrating her wedding. And the three kids were probably already planning their next adventure.

But I was up here, moving forward.

And that was enough.