Part 5
That evening, she texted me saying she was upset and asked if I could meet her.
Obviously, I said yes.
I got to the café a little earlier than her.
Not because I cared.
Obviously, I just wanted to make sure I was there before her. Looking prepared makes you look like you have your life together.
And I had to look like the perfect guy.
A few minutes later, she walked in.
One look at her face and I knew this wasn't going to be a normal conversation.
She sat across from me and didn't say anything.
I waited.
Then she finally sighed.
"I don't know what's wrong with him anymore."
There it was.
I leaned forward slightly.
"What happened?"
She started telling me everything. He had been ignoring her messages, cancelling plans, and whenever they talked, he seemed annoyed. She said she'd tried asking him what was wrong, but he kept saying nothing was wrong.
Classic.
The best part?
She wasn't angry anymore.
She was tired.
And tired was much better.
Angry people still want to fix things.
Tired people start thinking about leaving.
I nodded while she talked, occasionally saying things like, "Yeah, I understand," and "You shouldn't have to deal with that."
Meanwhile, in my head, I was basically celebrating.
Plan B was no longer a plan.
It was becoming reality.
After she finished, she looked at me.
"Do you think I'm wasting my time with him?"
I paused for a second.
I could've said yes.
But that would've been too obvious.
Instead, I said, "I don't think you should keep chasing someone who isn't making an effort."
She looked down at her drink.
"Maybe you're right."
I almost smiled.
Almost.
Then she asked the question I had been waiting for.
"What would you do if you were me?"
I leaned back.
"Honestly? I'd stop chasing him."
She looked at me.
"And then?"
"Then I'd see who actually wants to be there."
She didn't answer.
But I could tell she was thinking about it.
Good.
I wasn't going to tell her who that person was.
Not yet.
That would ruin everything.
We stayed there for a while, talking about random things. Eventually, she started laughing again, and the whole mood changed.
When we left the café, she thanked me for listening.
"No problem."
She smiled.
"I actually feel better now."
I smiled back.
"Anytime."
She walked away.
I waited until she was out of sight before taking out my phone.
I called my friend.
He answered almost immediately.
"Well?"
"Bro."
"What happened?"
"I think she's almost done with him."
There was silence.
Then he laughed.
"So Plan B?"
"Working perfectly."
"And what's next?"
I looked in the direction she had walked.
"Now I become the guy she compares him to."
My friend laughed again.
"You're actually evil."
"I prefer ambitious."
The next few days, I didn't mention her boyfriend at all.
That was important.
If I kept talking about him, she'd eventually realize what I was doing.
Instead, I just became more present.
If she needed help with something at university, I was there.
If she wanted coffee, somehow I was already getting one.
If she wanted to talk, I listened.
I wasn't trying to replace her boyfriend overnight.
I was making myself the easiest person in her life to talk to.
And it worked.
She started texting me first.
Then calling.
Then we'd meet even when there wasn't really a reason to.
One evening, we were sitting outside the university when her phone buzzed.
She looked at the screen.
Her smile disappeared.
I didn't ask.
I already knew.
She put the phone face down.
"Everything okay?"
She shook her head.
"It's him."
I nodded.
"What happened?"
"He cancelled again."
I looked at her.
"Again?"
"Yeah."
She laughed, but there was nothing funny about it.
"I don't even know why I'm still surprised."
That sentence told me everything.
The relationship was hanging by a thread.
I just needed to make sure I wasn't the one cutting it.
I wanted her to cut it herself.
That way, when it finally happened, nobody could blame me.
Perfect.
She looked at me and said, "You know what's funny?"
"What?"
"I've known you for such a short time, but I feel like I can talk to you about everything."
I smiled.
"Maybe I'm just easy to talk to."
"Maybe."
She looked at me for a second longer than usual.
Then she smiled.
And for the first time, I realized something.
I wasn't just getting closer to her.
She was getting closer to me.
I went home that night and immediately called my friend.
"Bro."
"What now?"
"I think we've got a problem."
He went quiet.
"What problem?"
I smiled.
"I think she might actually like me."
There was a pause.
Then he said,
"Wasn't that literally the whole plan?"
"Yeah."
"So why are you surprised?"
I thought about it.
Fair point.
But there was one thing neither of us had planned for.
Her boyfriend.
Because the next morning, I received a message from an unknown number.
"Stay away from her."
I stared at the screen.
Then I smiled.
Finally.
The boyfriend had noticed me.
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