Perfect. It has to be perfect.

That was Brian’s motto when it came to his relationship with Ayeon. He wanted it to be perfect, he wanted to give her only the best.

Brian has the table set 30 minutes in advance, and now with just 2 minutes left on the clock before her arrival, he adjusts the arrangement of roses in the glass vase once more, making sure that they are all standing upright and tall. His focus is broken when the doors to his apartment open and slam shut, and he jumps in excitement at the mere sight of her shadow, hurrying over to greet her as he places a quick peck to her lips. He finds it odd when she doesn’t kiss back, but he shifts his thoughts elsewhere, choosing not to dwell on something that might otherwise sour the good mood he was trying to set up.

“Hey sweetheart. What took you so long?”

“Hmm traffic jam.”

She doesn’t acknowledge him nor explain why she didn’t even send him a text to tell him she'll be late. Instead, she sauntered over to the dining table, not bothering to hide her displeasure at the sight in front of her.

A candlelit dinner with roses - the usual again. This man can’t be creative at all.  

She rolls her eyes; thankfully Brian is trailing behind her so he doesn’t see it.

Being the gentleman he is, he pulls out a chair for her, placing a kiss to her soft hair when she’s finally seated.

“Happy second anniversary Ayeon.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

The sound of cutlery clinking against one another and soft chewing fills the room, but other than that, neither of them makes a sound. The silence used to be comfortable, but now it feels heavy and awkward. Exchanging glances and sweet smiles from across the table was commonplace, yet that was a thing of the past. Brian keeps glancing between Ayeon and his food, trying to find the perfect opportunity to strike a conversation. Yet no such chance presents itself to him; her focus is entirely on her phone screen, her food barely touched and turning cold.

"Ayeon