Chapter 2
511 Words
Sophia released me, but instead of returning to the seat beside me, she slid into the chair across the table.
David walked over and sat beside Sophia without a second thought. Only then did I realize that our seating arrangement had quietly changed long ago.
At first, Sophia and I had always sat together, with David across from me.
Later, David started sitting across from Sophia.
Before long, the two of them always seemed to end up side by side, leaving me alone across from them.
I had trusted them so completely that I had never once thought to question it.
David leaned toward Sophia as soon as he sat down, and the two of them whispered right in front of me.
From the movement of David's lips, I could just make out, "Her computer has a firewall. I'll think of something else."
Sophia lowered her lashes, and disappointment flickered in her eyes.
Only after they finished whispering did David look at me, as though he had just noticed I was there.
"Honey, send me a copy of your model. I'll keep a backup for you. What if your computer dies one day and all that work is lost?"
I took a sip of coffee. "No need. I saved it to iCloud."
"iCloud accounts get hacked too. Wouldn't it be safer to keep a second copy with me?"
I didn't answer. Instead, I asked, "I heard you're going on vacation to Coral Bay."
A blank look crossed David's face. He scratched his head. "No. Why would I go to Coral Bay by myself?"
"I never said you were going alone. You're going with Sophia." I opened the travel app on my phone and held it up. "Your booking account is linked to my email. The confirmation emails and itinerary reminders all come to me. Did you forget?"
David frowned, visibly annoyed. "Emma, are you spying on me?"
Sophia quickly patted his arm. "Come on, Emma. Don't blame David for going without you. I wanted a break, but I didn't want to interrupt your research, so I asked him to come with me."
She winked at me. "You're not mad, are you? We can all take a trip together later."
The sight of them together almost made me laugh. "Sure. Let's wait until I finish my model, and then the three of us can go."
Sophia's expression stiffened, and her eyes filled with tears almost at once.
"Oh... If I'd known, I wouldn't have booked the hotel already. It's nonrefundable."
David picked up a napkin and gently dabbed at the corner of Sophia's eye. She turned her face toward him without hesitation, as though he did this for her all the time.
He wiped her tears with such practiced tenderness that he didn't seem to realize how far he had crossed the line.
David frowned at me. "Emma, just because you can't go doesn't mean you get to stop everyone else from traveling. I'll go with Sophia this time. Once your model is done, the three of us can go somewhere together."
- Writer
