Fading Echoes Chapter 1

On my twenty-third birthday, I was preparing to confess my feelings to Arthur.

But he beat me to it, falling in love at first sight with my roommate.

I watched them break up and make up, endlessly entangled.

Finally, I gave up all hope and got a boyfriend.

On the day I officially announced my relationship on Instagram, everyone was offering sincere congratulations.

Arthur never showed up.

Until the next day, when someone brought it up in front of him.

"Did you see that Instagram post? What do you think of Nora's boyfriend?"

The man was leaning back on the sofa. Hearing this, he glanced at me.

After a long pause, he drawled slowly, "Oh, he's just average."

* * *

As Arthur's words fell, the room went quiet for a moment.

Everyone's eyes turned to me.

Some were watching the drama unfold, others looked worried and uneasy.

In this day and age, everyone loves posting short videos and Instagram updates. Two people standing shoulder-to-shoulder, smiling and clearly in love—who wouldn't want to hear others say they look like a perfect match?

But not Arthur. He just bluntly evaluated him, saying, "Oh, he's just average."

Although his temper could be bad, he was usually very polite in his dealings with people.

Acting like this now... it was almost as if he was intentionally trying to embarrass me.

I held back my anger and asked him:

"What's wrong with my boyfriend?"

In fact, Caleb was very handsome.

Even my mom, who is incredibly picky, couldn't help but praise him when she met him.

"Compared to that friend of yours, Arthur, he's definitely not lacking."

I stared at Arthur, my expression showing my displeasure.

But he suddenly let out a weary smile.

Then he glanced at me, "Just a passing comment, don't take it to heart."

"Bring him around sometime when you're free."

After saying that, he stood up and left without any hesitation.

He didn't spare me another glance.

Someone tried to comfort me, saying, "Tsk, almost forgot. He just had a messy breakup with his girl. He must be feeling really irritated right now."

"It's fine. It's always like this with them. They'll be back together in a few days."

Saying this, the person glanced at me.

"Don't you think so, Nora?"

I zoned out for a second.

"Yeah, that's how it is."

They had been entangled for so long, how could it be that easy for them to separate?

Over the past few years, I anticipated and was disappointed time and time again.

I had already understood this fact, hadn't I?