All His Efforts To Win Me Over Were Meaningless

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It was over. Again.

His large hand wrapped around my ankle, silently demanding another round.

A surge of frustration bubbled up in my chest. I kicked out, my bare foot planting squarely against his firm chest.

Before he could react, glowing lines of text suddenly materialized in the air right in front of my eyes.

[The male lead and the side character have zero chemistry. Just stop already. Neither of them is even enjoying this.]

[Honestly, he doesn't even like her. He's just using her to get off.]

[Can the side character stop hogging him? The female lead is the delicate, sweet sorority girl he's actually destined to be with. They're going to meet so soon.]

[Stop being delusional, girl. He doesn't love you. If he did, why would he be okay with hurting you? If I remember the plot correctly, the side character literally dies from severe internal hemorrhaging after he pushes her too far.]

I pressed my foot down harder against his skin.

A muffled grunt escaped his throat.

Instantly, I pulled my leg back. "I don't want to do this anymore," I said, my voice completely devoid of warmth.

01

Bob froze.

Those striking amber eyes, still dark and heavy with lingering desire, looked up at me in pure confusion.

"Why?" he asked, his voice rough and gravelly.

I kept my face perfectly blank. Rolling out of bed, my legs immediately gave out. My lower back ached so deeply I had to stumble forward a few steps just to catch my balance.

Bobs expression shifted to immediate concern as he reached out to steady me.

I swatted his hands away. Turning around, I locked eyes with him and spoke with slow, deliberate precision.

"I told you to slow down earlier. Why didn't you listen?"

I watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry."

"I thought you liked it that way."

I broke eye contact, letting the silence stretch between us. I didn't have the energy to argue.

Instead, I turned and walked straight into the bathroom.

The floating text I had just seen refused to leave my mind. Deep down, I knew there was a suffocating layer of truth to those glowing words.

Bob was the untouchable golden boy of our university. The ice prince everyone wanted but no one could have.

I was the one who had chased him relentlessly until he finally agreed to date me.

But ever since we made it official, he had remained completely emotionally unavailable.

Except when we were in bed.

Bob possessed an almost terrifying stamina. Every single time, it lasted for hours. When my body was entirely spent, when I was trembling and whispering for him to stop because it was starting to ache, the man acted like he was completely deaf.

He would just stubbornly pull me right back against his chest.

His voice would drop to that gentle yet chillingly possessive whisper right against my ear.

"Just a little longer, baby. Bear with me."

He never took my feelings into account. He never cared if I was hurting.

I closed my eyes, letting the hot water from the shower wash over my face, carrying the salty taste of my tears down the drain.

By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, I had locked all my emotions into a tight little box.

Bob was sitting on the edge of the mattress. His gaze immediately snapped to me, his lips parting like he wanted to explain himself.

I cut him off before he could try. "I'm exhausted."

Hearing that, he pressed his lips together, stood up in silence, and headed toward the shower.

"Get some sleep, then."

I turned off all the lights and slipped under the covers.

But sleep wouldn't come. I tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed before Bob quietly re-entered the dark room. He smelled faintly of mint body wash. His movements were incredibly cautious.

Just like always, he lay down on the absolute farthest edge of the mattress.

Creating as much distance between us as humanly possible.

Our physical intimacy strictly existed only when we were actively sleeping together. Outside of that, we were strangers sharing a bed.

Right on cue, the floating text illuminated the darkness.

[Yikes. He genuinely despises her. He won't even cuddle her.]

[If I were her, I would have dumped him ages ago. What's the point of clinging to a guy who acts like this?]

[Let's be real. If his destined girl hadn't shown up so late in the timeline, and if he didn't have such a crazy high sex drive, he never would have settled for the side character.]

I blinked rapidly at the ceiling.

The bridge of my nose started to burn.

I absolutely hated how easily I cried. I didn't want to shed another tear over him, but my body simply wouldn't listen to my brain.

In the pitch black, I clamped both hands over my mouth, terrified of making even the slightest sound.

Thankfully, I didn't have to hold it in for long.

A few minutes later, Bob suddenly threw off the covers and walked out of the bedroom.

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of my lips. My relief was entirely overshadowed by a crushing wave of sadness.

The comments were right.

Bob didn't love me. He probably didn't even like me.

The holographic words danced in the air, relentlessly mocking my misery.

[When a guy doesn't love you, it's so obvious. He doesn't even want to breathe the same air as her.]

[She's so useless. She can't even satisfy him in bed, and now he has to go take a cold shower.]

[If the female lead were here, she would definitely know how to keep him happy.]

I squeezed my eyes shut.

My mind violently flashed back to that specific sentence.

The side character dies from severe internal bleeding.

A violent shudder racked my spine.

I didn't want to die.

I needed to break up with Bob.

02

The next morning.

When I woke up, Bob's side of the bed was already cold.

I got dressed in silence and was just about to leave his apartment when the front door swung open.

Bob walked in. He had faint dark circles under his eyes, likely from not sleeping at all last night.

He was holding a brown paper bag from my favorite artisan bakery downtown. It was miles away from campus, and the line was notoriously brutal on weekend mornings.

He set the pastries and coffees on the kitchen island, arranging them meticulously.

Only when everything was perfectly laid out did he look up at me.

"Are you going to eat?"

"Skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach."

I nodded slowly and took a seat on the barstool across from him.

The spread was massive. Every single thing on the counter was something I absolutely loved. And it was all still piping hot.

It meant Bob had rushed straight back without wasting a single second.

Looking at the steam rising from my coffee, a tiny crack formed in the walls I had built around my heart.

What if the floating comments were just messing with my head?

What if Bob just had a cold personality, but deep down, he actually cared about me?

I needed to know the truth.

I sniffled quietly, lifting my gaze to meet his deep, unreadable eyes.

"Bob, do you"

Before I could finish the sentence, a sharp ping echoed through the kitchen.

It was Bob's phone.

Both of our eyes dropped to the glowing screen resting on the marble counter.

I could see the notification clear as day. It was a message from a girl saved as Karen.

[Hey Bob! When are you free today to help me with...]

The preview cut off there.

My eyes remained glued to that glowing rectangle. I couldn't look away.

The floating texts immediately swarmed my vision.

[Look at her face! Little does she know the male lead added the female lead on social media weeks ago.]

[And HE was the one who asked HER out to dinner! Buying breakfast for the side piece means nothing. Karen is the only one who matters in his heart.]

[Just give up, girl. You can't fight the plot.]

Right.

I was just making a fool of myself again.

Bob noticed my shift in demeanor. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

I lowered my eyes, shoving a piece of croissant into my mouth.

"Nothing," I mumbled around the pastry.

A second later, Bob seemed to realize what had happened. He picked up his phone and slid it across the marble straight to me.

He stared right into me. "Do you want to check my phone?"

I froze.

We had been dating for nearly a year. We had always respected each other's privacy. We never snooped.

In that moment, a war waged in my head.

One side screamed: He's offering it! Just look. Put your mind at ease.

The other side whispered: What's the point? What if you find exactly what you're afraid of? And even if his messages are clean today, that doesn't mean they will be tomorrow.

Besides, Karen was the main character. How could I possibly compete with destiny?

I pressed my lips together.

After a few agonizing seconds, I slid the phone back across the counter.

I shoved all my chaotic emotions down into a dark pit, forced a painfully fake smile, and gave him the calmest response I could muster.

"No."

"I trust you."

Bob's eyes darkened. He studied my face for a long, heavy moment before looking away. "...Okay."

For some bizarre reason, that single word sounded almost hurt.

I brushed it off. I was definitely just projecting.

It was Monday.

I left his place and headed straight to the science building for my morning lecture.

Thanks to those cursed floating comments, my anxiety was through the roof all day.

Of course, the professor randomly called on me to answer a complex question. Luckily, I had practically memorized the textbook, so I managed to get through it without embarrassing myself.

When the bell finally rang, I walked out of the double doors.

Bob was leaning against the brick wall waiting for me, dressed in gray sweatpants and a crisp white tee.

He was here to walk me back.

03

Normally, I would have practically sprinted over and intertwined my fingers with his.

Today, all I felt was a dull, heavy exhaustion.

Right on time, the glowing words appeared to ruin my day.

[LMAO, does she actually think he came here just for her? He only swung by because he was dropping Karen off at the auditorium next door.]

[Yeah, he's just doing the bare minimum so she doesn't throw a tantrum.]

My fingers dug into the straps of my backpack.

I walked up to him, stopped a few feet away, and kept my voice flat.

"Let's go."

Bob's hand had started to lift.

It hovered in the empty air between us.

His fingers curled inward. He looked down at my hands, his expression completely unreadable.

I didn't wait for him. I just started walking.

After a few steps, I realized he wasn't beside me. I turned around to see him still rooted to the exact same spot.

"Are you coming or not?"

He looked up at my face, looking genuinely lost. "Did I do something to upset you?"

I didn't answer right away.

But the question burned in my throat until I finally just spat it out.

"Where did you come from just now?"

He blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question.

But he answered honestly.

"The auditorium."

A bitter smile twisted my lips. The truth felt like a physical blow, even though I already knew it.

But a sick, masochistic part of me needed to hear the rest.

"You dropped Karen off at the auditorium first, and then came over here to pick me up. Right?"

Bob's jaw clenched tight.

He gave a slow nod.

"Are you mad?"

"If you don't like it, next time I'll just"

"Don't bother," I interrupted.

I wasn't actually mad at him.

I just felt incredibly defeated.

If everything the comments said was true, then he was the leading man, Karen was his destined love, and I was just a temporary roadblock.

They were bound by the universe to fall in love.

How was I supposed to fight the universe?

I let out a shaky sigh and looked at the pavement. "I'm just tired. I want to go back to my dorm."

Something dark flickered in Bob's eyes.

He stared at me for a few agonizing seconds. Then, he stepped forward, smoothly slipped my heavy backpack off my shoulders, and started walking with long, purposeful strides.

"Let's go."

"I'll walk you."

We didn't speak a single word the entire way across campus.

When we finally reached the steps of my dorm building, Bob just stood there holding my bag. He made absolutely no move to hand it over or say goodbye.

He just stared at me in that intense, quiet way of his.

I frowned. "What is it?"

Bob looked down.

His voice was terrifyingly low.

"You always kiss me before you go inside."

He was right. Every single time before today, I did.

Usually, I practically begged him for a kiss.

But today, my heart felt completely hollow.

I shook my head, reached out, and yanked my backpack out of his grip. My voice sounded as exhausted as I felt.

"Maybe next time."

"...Okay."

Once I was safely locked inside my room, I sat on my bed and tried to figure out how to navigate this mess.

The floating texts were driving me insane.

But what was even worse was that every single thing they predicted turned out to be completely true in reality.

Logic screamed at me to cut my losses and dump him.

But my heart felt like it was bleeding.

I couldn't just let him go.

I had fought so hard to get him. Before the comments showed up, our relationship wasn't perfect. He was distant, and he was way too aggressive in the bedroom.

But aside from that, he treated me well.

And, if I was being completely honest, the physical side of our relationship was intoxicating when it wasn't hurting me.

While I was spiraling, my phone buzzed with a calendar notification:

[Bob's Birthday.]

It was tomorrow.

I had already bought his gift weeks ago.

And right on cue, the floating text flooded my cramped dorm room:

[Oh my god, is she actually planning to celebrate his birthday? Karen has already booked the entire night for him.]

[If she doesn't believe it, she should check out the Grand Plaza Hotel tomorrow. Karen set up a massive surprise party. He's not going to care about whatever cheap trash the side character bought him.]

[Girl, I am begging you. Dump him. You are literally marching toward a bad ending.]

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper.

I sat there in silence for a very long time.

This time, I wasn't going to just blindly trust the text.

I needed to see it with my own two eyes.

04

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes the next morning was a text from Bob:

[SGA stuff all morning.]

[I'll pick you up at noon.]

I typed back a quick: [Okay.]

Thanks to the toxic commentary from last night, a seed of pure paranoia had taken root in my chest.

Was he actually working?

I got dressed, ordered a rideshare, and headed straight for the luxury hotel the comments had mentioned.

A quick chat with the concierge confirmed there was indeed a private birthday luncheon happening in one of the VIP suites.

I took the elevator up.

The second the silver doors slid open, I saw him.

Bob was standing in the corridor. He had one hand casually tucked into his pocket, a rare, soft smile playing on his lips as he looked down at the girl standing in front of him.

Karen looked down shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. A pretty blush dusted her cheeks.

The chemistry between them was so incredibly perfect it almost looked like a movie scene.

It was so perfect I felt like an intruder just by looking at them.

I braced my hand against the cold wall.

My knees felt like they were going to give out.

So... he really did lie to me.

[Look at her face. Reality check, much? He doesn't love you.]

[Look at him smiling at Karen! He's so focused on her he hasn't even noticed his actual girlfriend standing ten feet away.]

[Listen to me, girl. Dump him. You deserve better anyway.]

I inhaled sharply, trying to hold back the tears.

Seeing it with my own eyes felt like a knife twisting directly in my chest.

I stood frozen for a few seconds, trying to gather the strength to turn around and sneak away.

But then, a familiar, surprised voice rang out.

"Amanda."

Bob had caught sight of me in his periphery. He instantly closed the distance between us, his long strides eating up the hallway.

Karen trailed right behind him.

I turned my head.

I stared blankly at the two of them standing side by side.

I didn't say a word.

Karen was the first to break the suffocating tension.

Her smile looked incredibly stiff as she glanced between us. "Bob... you have a girlfriend?"

Bob stepped right up next to me.

He smoothly took my purse from my shoulder, the softness in his eyes completely unchanged.

"Yeah."

"Karen, meet my girlfriend, Amanda."

The hallway fell into a dead, horrifyingly awkward silence.

The floating texts went absolutely wild:

[Omg, the male lead is so responsible and honest! Even though he's not into the side character, he didn't lie to the female lead to get in her pants!]

[...Isn't that just basic human decency?]

[Exactly. Stop praising a man for doing the bare minimum.]

[Wait, look! The male lead is physically reacting to the female lead! It's biological destiny!]

I flinched.

My eyes automatically dropped toward Bob's waistline.

But I couldn't see anything. He had strategically placed my purse directly in front of himself.

Karen, standing directly across from him, was completely oblivious.

But from where I was standing right next to him, I had a very clear view of what he was hiding.

I snapped my gaze back up. A bitter, reckless laugh escaped my throat. "He doesn't have to have a girlfriend if he doesn't want to."

The second the words left my mouth, both of them whipped their heads to look at me.

Karen looked utterly bewildered. "What?"

Bob's eyes went completely dark.

He said absolutely nothing.

I forced a fake, breezy smile. "Just a joke."

The ride back to campus was agonizingly quiet.

Bob walked beside me, radiating a tense, heavy silence.

It wasn't until we reached the courtyard of my dorm that he finally lowered his eyes, unable to hold it in anymore. "Amanda, did I do something wrong?"

I stopped dead in my tracks.

I turned my head to look at him.

I couldn't just sweep this under the rug.

"You texted me that you had student government work."

"Bob, if you were working, why were you at the Grand Plaza Hotel?"

His dark eyelashes fluttered.

When he spoke, his voice was tight and raspy.

"I'm sorry."

"The events committee sent me that address. They said we were meeting a vendor for the winter formal. But when I got there, the vendor had already left. I was just about to text you when you walked off the elevator."

I closed my eyes.

A crushing wave of absolute exhaustion washed over me.

It felt like the universe was constantly pulling strings behind the scenes just to force the two main characters into the same room.

And I was powerless to stop it.

05

While I was zoning out, Bob stepped closer and gently wrapped his warm hand around mine.

His palm was so comforting.

His voice was calm, with that familiar cool tone, but there was a hint of pleading in it.

"I made a reservation for dinner. Let's go eat, okay?"

I slowly shook my head.

With agonizing precision, I pulled my hand out of his grip, slipping my fingers away one by one.

"No."

"I have plans tonight. Maybe next time."

I had finally made up my mind.

If I didn't have the courage to break it off entirely right this second, I was going to slowly distance myself.

I would pull away, piece by piece.

Until one day, letting him go wouldn't hurt anymore.

Bob turned completely rigid. He stared at me like I had just grown a second head.

It took him a long time to find his voice.

He looked entirely devastated.

"Do you really not remember what day today is?"

How could I possibly forget?

I had booked an impossible-to-get reservation a week in advance just to celebrate his birthday.

I had bought his gift a month ago.

An expensive watch and a tiny, hand-knit bear were currently sitting at the bottom of the purse he was still holding for me.

But now?

There was no point in giving them to him.

I reached out and pulled my bag from his hands. My face was unnervingly blank. "It's nothing important."

The color instantly drained from Bob's face.

His lips parted.

It looked like he was desperately trying to force words out of his throat.

After a suffocating silence, he just dropped his gaze to the concrete and echoed my words.

"Right."

"Nothing important."

The comments started flooding my vision again in a chaotic frenzy:

[Omg the male lead looks utterly shattered! It's HIS birthday, and he even bought a gift for HER, and she totally forgot!]

[Turn around, Bob! Karen is waiting for you!]

[Why hasn't he dumped her yet? She treats him like garbage. I feel so bad for him.]

[Don't worry, the side character's exit is coming right up.]

I turned my back on him and started walking toward the dorm doors.

My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe.

But I didn't look back. Not even once.

When I finally got to my room, I opened my bag, fully intending to shove the watch and the bear into the darkest corner of my bottom drawer.

But my fingers brushed against a velvet box that didn't belong to me.

I pulled it out and popped it open.

Inside sat a breathtakingly gorgeous diamond necklace.

I recognized it immediately. The last time we went to the mall, I had stared at it in the display window for far too long, only to walk away when I saw the price tag.

He had actually gone back and bought it.

I blinked rapidly.

Tears instantly blurred my vision.

I didn't even know what I was feeling anymore.

Through my tear-filled eyes, the glowing text materialized to ruin the moment.

[Aww, is the side character touched? Plot twist: He bought it for Karen, but she rejected it, so he just pawned it off on his girlfriend.]

[LMAO, basic girls are so easy to manipulate.]

Right.

I was being delusional again.

I furiously wiped the tears off my cheeks.

This time, I didn't even consider confronting Bob to ask if it was true.

Every single time I dug for the truth, I ended up getting hurt.

I was so incredibly done.

Over the next few weeks, I successfully managed to avoid him.

Whenever class ended, I would immediately disappear into the chaotic crowd of students.

Whenever he texted asking to hang out, I used midterms and study groups as an excuse.

The first few days were agonizing.

But eventually, I started getting used to being on my own.

I certainly didn't expect our inevitable collision to happen like this.

I had recently won a prestigious academic scholarship, and the campus newspaper wanted to do a quick profile on me. We couldn't find an empty study room on campus anywhere.

Desperate, the senior running the interview suggested booking a cheap day-rate hotel room right off campus just for thirty minutes to record the interview in peace.

I never in a million years expected to run into Bob in the lobby.

His hand clamped around my wrist like a vice. The edges of his eyes were rimmed with angry red as he physically blocked my path, refusing to let me walk past him.

"Do not go up there with him."

I scowled, trying to rip my arm out of his grip. "Let go of me."

Bob planted his feet.

He was like an immovable brick wall.