Keeley wasn't thrilled to be discussing Aaron with her roommates. Didn't she have to deal with him enough already? Why did the conversation always return to her pathetic love life?

To make matters worse, her phone dinged with a text from him. It lay on the table, and Valentina and Jennica peered at it with interest.

"Who is 'Crazy Person'?" Valentina asked curiously. "Is it him?!"

"Yes," Keeley sighed, relieved she hadn't used his real name in her contacts.

"What did he say?"

Knowing they wouldn't stop asking, she unlocked her phone and read the text aloud. "How is the research coming? Do you want me to bring you dinner agai—oh no."

They stared at her with those knowing "you're totally hooking up with him" looks.

"He was bothering me, and I was starving earlier this week, so I asked him to bring me food," she said defensively. "You guys were busy; otherwise, I would have asked you."

"Oh, honey," Jennica said gently. "Why are you encouraging him if you don't like his company?"

Keeley was stumped. She couldn't explain; her roommates didn't understand her situation. Things with Aaron were far more complicated than she could articulate.

"You don't understand," she said. "I could literally breathe, and it would encourage him. I've tried everything—avoiding, fighting, ignoringif you can't beat 'em, join 'em. It's less exhausting to accept his presence on the fringes of my life."

"Mm-hmm," Valentina said skeptically. "Are you going to text him back?"

Keeley's face flushed, and she looked down. She felt like a pushover.

"If I don't, he'll come looking for me," she mumbled.

She sent a quick message: "I'm not at the lab; I'm out with my roommates."

He replied immediately: "Sounds fun. What are you doing?"

She texted back: "Shopping for Halloween costumes and eating hamburgers. I have to go; talk to you later."

Keeley snapped her phone shut and shoved it deep into her pocket. Their knowing gazes irritated her.

"He checks up on you?"

"Every day," she said miserably.

"Aww, he likes you!" Valentina cooed. "No man would put in that much effort if he didn't. And he actually brought you dinner when you asked! What a sweetheart."

Aaron, a sweetheart? That was laughable. He might be acting differently lately, but anyone who knew him would describe him as anything but "sweet."

"He's not sweet. He's a human icicle."

"Cold and sweet aren't mutually exclusive. Think ice cream," Jennica said, laughing before turning serious. "Really though, do you like this guy or not? If he hurt you before, you could do much better."

Like him? She barely tolerated him! Aaron no longer made her heart race or feel comfortable. Those feelings had existed when she'd liked him.

"I don't, I promise. Can we drop this now?" she pleaded.

"But I want to know more about this Crazy Person," Valentina said with a dramatic sigh. She was far too invested in romantic drama.

"Like what?" Keeley asked flatly.

"How did you meet him? Why did you break up? How long has he been in love with you?"

Keeley scowled. Valentina watched too many telenovelas. "I met him in class, I'm not telling you, and he is NOT in love with me."

"He certainly seems to be in love with you," Valentina said in a singsong voice. "Bringing a girl dinner is so romantic!"

"It was a meatball sub! There's nothing romantic about meatballs!" Keeley cried.

"Haven't you seen Lady and the Tramp? There's a whole romantic scene with meatballs during the love song," Jennica teased.

Keeley buried her head in her arms. "I hate you guys," she mumbled.

Aaron hadn't been in love with her for at least twelve years, if he ever was. There was no way.

She could understand him being oddly infatuated—the one that got away, perhaps?—since she'd ignored him in high school. But love? He didn't know what love was. It wasn't in his programming.

If you love someone, you wouldn't be ashamed of them, or uncaring about their concerns. You certainly wouldn't leave them to suffer alone during a terrible experience, let alone cheat on them, cover up their father's death, and demand a divorce.

Aaron's actions proved he didn't love her. So why was he acting like a lovesick puppy?

Her roommates eventually stopped teasing her, but her good mood was ruined. She locked herself in her room when they returned home.

Hours later, she was watching YouTube videos with Molly on her chest when Aaron texted again: "What are your plans for Halloween?"

She sighed. Couldn't he leave her alone for a few hours? She'd said "later," meaning tomorrow, not now.

She texted: "Going to a party with some friends. You?"

He replied: "I'm staying home."

This wasn't surprising. He'd never dressed up for Halloween. When they were dating, the most she could get him to do was snuggle under the covers and watch scary movies. After they married, he stopped even that.

Keeley had actually enjoyed those Halloweens—he rarely watched what she wanted. She was a scaredy-cat, often jumping or burying her face in his chest to avoid the screen.

Aaron was unfazed by horror movies, and by almost everything, honestly.

He texted: "At the very least you should watch a horror movie. You can't just let Halloween pass without doing anything; that's too boring."

She replied: "Any suggestions?"

He was taking her seriously? Since when did Aaron care about being boring? He'd been boring since birth!

She texted back: "Let me get back to you on that."

She tossed her phone onto her bed to prevent further responses. Molly kept her from moving. She'd indulged him enough for one day.

(The final sentence, "Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality," appears to be an advertisement and has been removed.)