Xiaowan patiently sat at the table for two at the restaurant her boyfriend had reserved for the both of them for her birthday several months ago. Still though, with each passing minute she grew anxious and worried as Xukun was already an hour late. Xiaowan had messaged him earlier to remind him about it as he has become forgetful as of late. Xiaowan messaged him again wondering if he got stuck at a group project or in traffic, but received no response after sending several messages and calls in the past couple of hours. Xiaowan let out another sigh as she gazed around her once again feeling slightly embarrassed that others may have thought she got stood up since arriving to the restaurant.

Xiaowan's anxiousness continues to grow as she wonder if he did forget about their plans for tonight as time slowly continued to tick on by. Still she continued to wait in hopes that Xukun was just buying her flowers or some other birthday gift and it was just delaying his arrival to make it up to her in the end. By like an hour or two or so, but still being late was better than never. Xiaowan trusted Xukun so there was nothing too much to worried about. Xiaowan repeatedly told herself this as she checked her phone for the nth time and still there was no new notifications from her boyfriend about his whereabouts whatsoever.

"Hello, miss. Are you sure you wouldn't like to order something as you continue to wait?" The same waiter that was tending to Xiaowan asked her once again. "Like some more water or something else to drink?"

Xiaowan cast him a polite smile. "More water would be great, but could I just get an order of short ribs to go please?"

"Will do. Anything else?"

"Oh yes. A slice of the carrot cake, please."

"Will do, miss. Your order will be with your shortly."

"Thank you so very much."

Xiaowan had contacted one of Xukun's IPT frat brothers, Ziyi, and he informed her that he has been at the music department working on a project for the past few hours. She had thanked him and made her way over to see her boyfriend. She knew that he was majoring in music and that the current project was a big deal to him passing this semester. So if he couldn't celebrate her birthday at the restaurant, then she'll celebrate it with him in a music room. As long as she was with him and spending time together, then that's all that really mattered to her. Just like on his birthday a month ago they couldn't celebrate it together as he was busy with another school project at the time. So they hung out some time after that although it was cut short.

So when Xiaowan appeared outside the music room that Ziyi had told Xiaowan that he would be in and gently knocked on it, but received no response she decided to enter as quietly as possible. There she spotted Xukun along with another student, Meiqi, who she has seen hanging out with Xukun several times over the past school year going over some music sheets. Xiaowan didn't mind as she trusted Xukun, but there was something inside of Xiaowan that irked her just a tad bit when she witnessed Meiqi wrapped her arms around Xukun and planted a small peck onto his cheek. Could it be a twinge of jealously?

"It's wonderful, KunKun! Thank you so much!" Meiqi let out with glee after kissing Xukun on the cheek before releasing him.

"No worries, QiQi." Xukun smiled at her while moving a few strands of Meiqi's hair from out of her face and behind her ear. "I'm glad to help."

Maybe it was as Xiaowan suddenly felt a small pang of jealousy in her chest at the mentioned of the two using nicknames with one another and the actions that was displayed before her. She couldn't remember the last time Xukun had done that to her or the last time they've shared simple gestures with one another. As a matter of fact, Xiaowan couldn't remember if Xukun had ever called her name in such an affectionate manner. Since they started dating the couple had always used their given names with one another. The last time she had called her boyfriend, 'Kun', he had given her a weird look and Xiaowan never called him that again.

"Alright, KunKun. I think that's it for now. See you tomorrow at the same time?" Meiqi said while putting her things away and standing up with Xukun doing the same. "Yup. See you tomorrow, QiQi."

When the duo turned towards the door to leave they froze upon seeing Xiaowan standing there a bit awkwardly.

"Uh, hi." Xiaowan greeted them with a small wave. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"How long have you been standing there?" Xukun asked instead feeling guilty for some reason he didn't know why.

"Oh, not that long."

"Anyways, see you tomorrow, KunKun." Meiqi bid Xukun farewell once again while walking pass Xiaowan. "Bye-bye, Xiaowan."

"Bye-bye." Xiaowan said as she shot Meiqi a small smile before turning her attention to Xukun and walking towards him while placing the two items on the desk. "Since you couldn't make it I thought we can have dinner here instead."

"Make it where?" Xukun asked with a confused look. "Was there something planned for today?"

Xiaowan paused in opening the container with the short ribs inside and slowly cast a hurt look at Xukun. "Yeah, Xukun. You were the one that had planned it. I tried calling and texting you, but you didn't reply back."

"Oh, about that. The battery died and I didn't have a charger on me to charge it. Sorry, Xiaowan." Xukun apologized in an indifferent tone. "I don't remember what I planned tonight. Was it something important?"

Looking down at the food, something in Xiaowan finally cracked as this conversation was similar to what they had last month around the time of his birthday. It liked he stopped being a boyfriend and he seemed distracted and acted like the two of them weren't in a relationship with one another. Or better yet, it seemed like Xiaowan realized that Xukun had stopped doing all the little things that she had appreciated a lot in their relationship even before his birthday. She never cared for the expensive jewellery he bought her saying diamonds and pearls were a girl's best friend. Nor did she care for the fancy restaurant dates he took her out to just to impress her still. Xiaowan also didn't mind the constant large hang-outs when it was supposed to be the two of them on a date.

Still though, Xiaowan honestly missed the little things that Xukun used to do. The special times that the two had shared with just each another and away from everything else. Like when he bought her flowers randomly to surprise her and tell her the meaning of them that he learned from the florist. Or how he would call her beautiful every once in a while. The little moments when he would just hold her hands or do things to put a smile on her face. Xiaowan missed the times when Xukun would call her in the early hours of morning or late in the middle of the night just to hear her voice and talk about anything and everything. Thinking back on all of that, Xiaowan wondered if she was still someone that Xukun needed in his life.

"When did you stop?" Xiaowan suddenly asked Xukun while staring at the food before her.

"Stop what?" Xukun asked not aware of the situation happening between them.

Xiaowan sadly gazed at him and elaborated her question. "When did you stop doing all the little things in our relationship?"

Upon seeing the expression on Xiaowan's face, Xukun unconsciously swallowed down the lump that suddenly appeared in his throat. "To be honest, Xiaowan, I don't remember." Xukun admitted with a half-shrug. "I only did those things in the beginning because of the bet."

"Bet?" She cast him a confused look before furrowing her eyebrows in thought. "What bet, Xukun?"

Xukun froze upon revealing the truth about why he pursued Xiaowan in the first place. He avoided looking at her and didn't continued the topic.

"This is what your IPT brothers discreetly meant isn't it?" Xiaowan scoffed upon everything making sense to her now after two years of being in a relationship with Xukun. "All the times we hung out at those IPT parties and your frat brothers wanting to get me drunk just so I could spill out anything between us. All the times they cast me weird looks when they ask about how far we've gone, what are status was, and if there's been anything weird or unusual between us. All of the quiet giggles and laughter because they knew that our relationship was built on a foundation of lies, Xukun. Lies worth two years on your part."

"C'mon, that was just the beginning of our relationship, Xiaowan. It's different now." Xukun reasoned although he knew that it didn't sound convincing at all.

"The only difference is now I know the real reason you dated me, Xukun. A bet. Two ing years of this relationship between me and you filled with your dishonesty from the get-go. Why bother when you stopped being interested since you don't recall why you stopped doing the little things?"

"I don't know." He lamely answered and avoided eye-contact once again.

Xiaowan scoffed again. "Did you get a kick out of knowing that I liked you honestly, yet you couldn't even bother giving me just a bit of it yourself?" She shot him a disgusted look. "Was I just some play thing for you to mess around with? A complete joke for your entertainment? Is that why you've been hanging out with Meiqi often? Forgetting all of our plans? For our anniversary? For your birthday? Even on my birthday? Is she the one you need instead, Xukun?"

"Stop, Xiaowan. Don't be ridiculous." Xukun tried to reason with a roll of his eyes. "It's not even like that, Xiaowan."

"I'm not being ridiculous, Xukun." Xiaowan spat in a huff before calming herself down and speaking again. "Well, she's beautiful." Xiaowan commented upon Meiqi with no ill intentions to her words, but there was a sadness to her tone of voice now. "I hope she makes you happy because clearly I never did. The proof is in the way you look at her that you don't even look at me like that. Even though we've been dating for two years. Two years that were still built on a foundation of lies. Goodbye, Xukun."

Xiaowan cast her ex-boyfriend one final l