A Love Too Much for Three

My girlfriend, Quinn Simmons, my best friend, Seth Johnson, and I were one the outs. When I apologized to Quinn, she just fingered her nails. Then I tried to talk to Seth. He scrolled through his phone and turned a deaf ear to me. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I begged for their forgiveness, but my efforts were fruitless. In high school, Quinn and Seth asked me which electives I intended to take. Seth gave me the cold shoulder for a whole month after I chose the same electives as Quinn. Seth threw the 20 apology letters that I wrote for him into the trash, saying, "I don't really care. You two are a couple. I'm not forcing you to choose the same electives with me." During our university days, both Quinn and Seth rented places off campus and asked me to move in with them. When I chose Seth, Quinn chased me out of her place with a frosty expression, saying, “Go find your new roommate. Just leave me alone.” Quinn's disregard lasted two months. I kept chasing after her, trying to coax her the whole time. One day, I accidentally tumbled down the stairs. My whole body shook as I clutched my injured leg, but Quinn didn’t even spare me a single glance. She just stepped over me. Ten minutes ago, we were choosing a movie to watch. Quinn wanted to watch a sci-fi film, while Seth wanted to watch a romance movie. They asked me to choose again. In the end, after I chose a comedy, they spent the entire time ignoring me and chatting among themselves. "I want to watch a romance movie," Seth said while looking at Quinn. "It's fine if you don't." Quinn scoffed. "Can you watch something logical for once? What's so interesting about a romance movie anyway?" As Seth rolled his eyes, a flash of panic flickered across Quinn's eyes. She sighed and said, "Fine. We'll watch whatever you want to watch." I stood rooted to the spot, clutching the three tickets for the comedy movie. Suddenly, I didn't feel like watching the movie anymore. Chapter 1 Blake's POV My best friend, Seth Johnson, smiled the moment he heard my girlfriend, Quinn Simmons, give in to him. "I was just teasing you," he said. "I wasn't really mad. I just knew that you would grow softhearted." Quinn ruffled his hair and helplessly said, "You also knew that I'd immediately fold when I saw your tears." "I don't care," Seth whined while shaking her arm. "You already agreed, so you have to accompany me." "Alright. Stop tugging my arm. My sleeve is getting all wrinkled." Although we had been together for eight years, this was the first time I learned that Quinn was someone who easily grew soft-hearted. There was an incident in the past that happened when we were having our cold war. Someone had maliciously reported me for cheating during our final exams, which meant that my scholarship money was at risk of being revoked at any moment. Quinn sat diagonally behind me, giving her a clear view of everything I did during the exam. Thus, the counselor summoned her to verify the accusation. "I'm not sure," she said calmly. "I have no reason to stare at someone unrelated during the entire exam. But I've heard that money has been tight for him recently." Quinn's words cost me my scholarship, which in turn cost me the money I needed to pay Mom's hospital bills. That afternoon, I teetered on the edge of a breakdown as I cried my heart out in the stairwell. "Why did you say that?" I roared. "You knew that I didn't cheat! Why didn't you clear my name for me? Do you have any idea how important the scholarship money is to me? I was going to use it to save Mom's life! "I'm always studying during my part-time job. I'm so busy that I don't have time to relax for even a second. How dare you ruin all my hard work with a single sentence?" Quinn leaned against the staircase railing, arms crossed. She looked at me coldly and waited for me to cry until my voice turned hoarse. Only then did she approach me and offer me a tissue. "Are you done with your tantrum yet? You look so pathetic when you're in hysterics over money, Blake Beckett." Crying in front of Quinn did nothing for me. Only Seth's tears worked on her—only his tears had the power to move her heart. I canceled the three tickets for the comedy, saying, "The two of you can watch whatever you want. I won't be joining you." Chapter 2 Blake's POV Quinn's smile faded. "Why are you throwing a tantrum now?" she snapped. "I have no idea what's going on with you," Seth said, spreading his arms. "We can just watch the comedy if you want to watch it so badly. There's no need for you to give us attitude. You're acting as if we're teaming up to bully you." Quinn's expression turned cold. "We don't need to bend to his whims. We came out to watch a movie together, and we're going to stick to the plan." She then forcefully dragged me toward the ticketing counter. The next show for the romance movie was about to begin. The screen showed only three seats left. Two seats were next to each other, and the last one was across the aisle. Quinn handed me the ticket for the seat across the aisle without hesitation. "Seth has astigmatism. He won't be able to see the subtitles clearly if his seat is too close to the side. You can take the seat that's across the aisle." "I don't think that's right," Seth chimed in, looking at me. "Blake is your boyfriend, after all. I'm fine with sitting on the side." "Blake doesn't like watching romance movies," Quinn said while pressing the ticket into my hands. "He'll just be scrolling on his phone even if we do sit together." We entered the hall after the staff member checked our tickets. Quinn and Seth sat next to each other with Seth holding a bucket of popcorn. They reached into the bucket at the same time. When their fingers brushed against each other, Seth turned his head to the side and chuckled softly. The corners of Quinn's lips curled up into a faint smile as she said something in a low voice. I averted my gaze. The man next to me suddenly shifted, taking my armrest. "Are you here by yourself, handsome?" the man asked. I ignored him and shimmied to the right, putting as much distance as I could between us. But the moment the screen went dark, I felt a rough hand touch the outside of my thigh. The man moved his lips close to my ear and whispered, "Your pants are so short. You're just asking for someone to touch you, right?" A loud buzzing filled my ears. I shot to my feet and shouted, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" My outburst drew everyone else's attention in the hall. My finger shook uncontrollably as I pointed at the man and exclaimed, "He touched me! Not only that, but he also said disgusting things to me!" The man also rose to his feet, wearing a good and honest expression as he innocently asked, "Why are you screaming, sir? The seats are a little cramped, so I just accidentally touched you. I swear that I didn't do it on purpose. Please don't cause a scene and ruin the movie for everyone else." The others began whispering among themselves. "He's right. He looks like a good and honest man. He doesn't seem like the type to harass another person." "He overreacted. It's not like he's going to lose anything just because the guy touched him for a few seconds. Besides, perhaps he isn't even into men." Nobody took my side. I shot a pleading look at Quinn, saying, "He really touched me, Quinn…" "It's pitch black in here, Blake," Seth said while covering his mouth with his hand. "Perhaps you were just imagining things? He looks like an upstanding guy." Quinn didn't stand up or shield me. Instead, she impatiently snapped, "Is your tendency to paint yourself as the victim acting up again, Blake? You were stalked in the past. Is that why you see everyone as thugs now?" Her words made me freeze in place. During my junior year in university, Quinn and I were stuck in a long-running cold war because I chose to stay with Seth. Seth was annoyed that I looked for Quinn every day, so he intentionally dumped my belongings outside the door. I had no choice but to find a place for myself, but someone ended up stalking me. A man broke into my place at midnight and pinned me against the mattress. Fortunately, the neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. Quinn's eyes were bloodshot when she finally rushed over. She frantically pulled me into her arms and said, "It's okay, Blake. I'm here. You don't have to be scared." She healed the wound in my heart with her warmth. However, at that moment, she was tearing the scar open with her own two hands and displaying the bloody wound for everyone to see. Quinn spoke in a low voice to the man who was sitting next to her. After wiring him some money, the man grabbed his things and moved to my original seat. "That's enough. Don't just stand there and let everyone make a fool out of you," she said as she pointed at the vacant seat. "I know that you just want to change seats. Come and sit next to me." Chapter 3 Blake's POV My entire body felt cold. Fear still gripped my heart as I sat next to Quinn. When Seth began crying softly during the second half of the movie, Quinn softened her voice and asked, "Why are you crying so much?" She sighed as he sniffled, then pulled out a tissue and wiped his tears. "You're going to crush the popcorn bucket from how hard you're gripping it." Last month, when I started crying while watching a pet movie, she just threw a packet of tissues at me. Her tone was impatient when she told me not to drip my tears all over the leather seat. The lights came back on after the movie ended. The three of us followed the crowd and left the hall. Seth's eyes were slightly red. "It's such a shame that the male and female lead weren't able to be together because of the second male lead. It was so obvious that the female lead didn't love the second male lead anymore, but he kept clinging to her like a leech." "You're right," Quinn chimed in. "It's all the second male lead's fault for not being able to read the room." "I totally agree with what the male lead said," Seth said, sighing in relief. "What did he say?" "The one who isn't loved is the actual other person in a relationship." Quinn briefly halted her footsteps before saying, "That makes sense. No one benefits when one party insists on holding onto a title." Seth arched his brow, pleased. He looked at me and asked, "What do you think, Blake?" "I also think that the male and female leads were a good match for each other," I said, nodding. "The second male lead made the right choice by breaking up with her and vacating the position of her boyfriend." Quinn glanced at me, frowning. It seemed that she hadn't expected me to agree with them. But she didn't question me further. Instead, she tugged at her tie in frustration and changed the topic. "Let's eat. Seth mentioned that he wanted to have wings in the morning." … We made our way to a chicken-wings restaurant opened by an influencer on the outskirts of the city. It was located in a remote area about 12 miles away from the city. Quinn ordered a large serving of spicy wings. She dipped a wing in a bowl of blue cheese dip before placing it on Seth's plate. "There's a little too much sauce on it. I hope you don't mind." She then grabbed a tissue and put it right next to Seth's hand. Seth's eyes were crinkled into crescents as he grabbed the spicy wing and said, "Since you messed up the first time, my punishment is for you to prepare another one for me." Meanwhile, my plate remained spotless. It seemed Quinn had forgotten my stomach had become rather sensitive to spicy food because I spent too many nights staying up to work overtime with her. "Our anniversary is next month," Quinn suddenly said. "Coincidentally, I'll be on break. I've already booked the flight tickets. We're going skiing in Frestown." Seth immediately set his wing down and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Skiing? I want to go scuba diving in Tromille. I've already picked out my swimsuit." "You'll be signing your own death sentence if you go to the beach, considering how bad you are in the water," Quinn retorted with a scoff. When the two of them couldn't come to an agreement, Seth kicked my chair and said, "You decide, Blake. We'll go wherever you choose." They were playing the same game again, forcing me to be the decision-maker whenever their opinions clashed. Whenever I sided with one person, the other would throw a tantrum and force me to grovel for forgiveness. "I want to go to Healwich," I said. Quinn's expression visibly darkened the moment the words left my lips. Seth rolled his eyes and threw his tissue onto the table, muttering, "What a wet blanket." He grabbed his phone and started playing a game. Quinn continued eating her spicy wings with a blank expression. They were waiting for me to fold, just like I had countless times before. They knew that I couldn't endure being given the cold shoulder, so I would eventually acquiesce to their request of my own accord. They were waiting for me to put on a smile and say, "Let's go to Frestown then," or "Tromille sounds good." I placed my tissue on the table and said, "Let's break up, Quinn." Chapter 4 Blake's POV Quinn stopped chewing. A bewildered glint flickered in her eyes for a split second before it was replaced by a mocking look. "Did you think that I would concede to you if you threatened to break up with me?" she demanded. Seth didn't even bother lifting his head. His fingers flew across the screen as he asked, "Why are you even bothering to entertain him, Quinn? He just wants attention. "Look at this pasta. Is this the same one that we had in the diner in Dormino?" "The one we had was creamier," she answered, sweeping her gaze across the screen. "Don't you remember how you got a stomachache in the middle of the night after you ate it? I was the one who had to go out at midnight to buy medicine for you." "You're the one who didn't stop me from ordering it." "I tried, but you didn't listen to me." They began chatting among themselves, completely ignoring how I had asked for a breakup a few minutes ago. "I'm going to the restroom," I said, standing up. Quinn didn't even spare me a glance. Instead, she just poured a glass of warm water for Seth. The table was empty by the time I returned from the restroom. The waitress had an awkward look on her face as she approached me with the bill, saying, "The lady and the man who were here have already left, sir. They said you would settle the bill." I scanned the QR code and paid for the meal. Quinn's car had disappeared from the curb when I walked out of the restaurant. The apartment in the city was about 12 miles away from the restaurant. I wrapped my thin coat tighter around myself before starting my trek home, one step at a time. This was Quinn's warning to me—that the consequence of upsetting her was abandonment. However, I knew that once I completed this 12-mile walk, there would truly be nothing left between us. … I dragged my old suitcase out from under my bed after I made it back to the apartment. Quinn had immediately brought me back here after I reported my stalker to the police. She made it clear that there would be no room for compromise when she shoved my suitcase under the bed and told me that this was my home from then on. I would never need to move again. I placed my clothes into the suitcase in neat stacks. "What are you doing?" Quinn had suddenly appeared at the bedroom door when I was distracted. "Packing my belongings," I answered. "How much longer are you going to keep this up, Blake Beckett?" she snapped. "We're not together anymore, Quinn," I said. "It only makes sense for me to move out since we're no longer a couple." Quinn's expression darkened. "Aren't you tired of using the same tricks for eight years, Blake? Do you think that I will concede to you and coax you just because you're packing your stupid clothes and pretending to leave?" "I'm not pretending," I retorted as I zipped my suitcase. Quinn made her way to the living room, grabbed a stack of receipts, and threw them at my face. "Fine! You can leave if you want to, but you have to settle the bills first before you go." I grabbed the stack of receipts and flipped through them. The first page was Mom's hospital bill that Quinn paid on my behalf when I lost my scholarship during my junior year in university. The second page was half the apartment's rent after I moved in, based on the market price. Every bill was recorded in meticulous detail. She even calculated the water and electricity bills down to the last two decimals. My fingertips felt a little numb as I stared at the countless numbers. I had stayed by Quinn's side as she established her business. When she didn't have enough funds, I worked three jobs a day and only ate bread for a whole month. In the end, I managed to save up 100,000 dollars. Her eyes reddened when I pressed the stack of cash into her hands. She then pulled me into her arms and told me that everything she owned also belonged to me from then on. I thought Quinn and I had stopped caring about what belonged to whom a long time ago. "Do you have to be so calculating with me?" I asked. The corners of Quinn's lips curled up into a smile. "Even blood-related brothers settle their bills properly. That's especially so since we're not in a relationship anymore. "Just be good and stay here if you don't have enough money. Don't threaten to break up with me over the most insignificant things. Besides, it's not as if you have somewhere to stay after you move out." Quinn assumed I didn't have enough money because she knew I sent most of my money back home to pay for Mom's rehabilitation training. However, she had no idea I had just won a large monetary prize from a design competition. I took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll pay." "Are you here, Quinn?" Just then, Seth's voice resounded in the living room. He looked extremely excited as he held a thick stack of papers. "The furnishing drafts for the unit opposite this one just came out, Quinn. Hurry and help me decide what color the carpet in the living room should be!" he exclaimed, spreading the drafts on the dining table. The number "1502" was printed on the drafts, indicating that they were meant for the unit opposite our apartment. Quinn's expression stiffened slightly before she said, "It's not safe for Seth to stay by himself. I bought the unit opposite ours for him so it'll be easier to take care of him. Don't overthink this. Only his name is on the deed right now, but if you behave yourself, I can add your name too tomorrow." "Just look at how generous Quinn is, Blake," Seth said with pursed lips. "She's just giving the unit to you. It costs about 2,000 dollars to add a name to a deed. You've really lucked out." He then tugged on Quinn's sleeve and dragged her outside. "Hurry and take a look for me, Quinn. Do you think that the bedside cabinet is a little too low?" Quinn let herself be dragged out of the door by Seth. She turned back and glanced at me before she stepped across the threshold, saying, "Put your things back where they belong after you've come to your senses. I don't have the patience to keep coaxing you." I pulled out my phone and booked a flight ticket to my hometown in Healwich. After I wired Quinn the money I owed her, I hailed a cab to the airport. I didn't care if she included my name on the deed. I didn't want the apartment or Quinn anymore. Carrying my suitcase, I made my way to the boarding gate without looking back even once.