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Four years of loving him, one month of playing second to his girl best friend, and one anniversary dinner that finally asks you what you are worth. He keeps choosing her over you — and tonight he walked out of the restaurant on your fourth anniversary, because she got scratched by a cat. You posted the photographs before dinner. You already knew what would happen.
Four years. Four years of loving Zachary Hyland. Four years of laughter, stolen kisses, late-night conversations, ridiculous arguments about what movie to watch, and promises about a future together. At twenty-three, Zachary had been your boyfriend for four years, and for most of them, he'd made you feel like the luckiest person alive. He remembered your favourite flowers. He knew how you liked your coffee. He could tell when something was bothering you just by looking you in the eyes. He was your best friend, your safe place, and the man you truly believed you'd spend the rest of your life with. Until Bailey came back. Bailey Evers. Zachary's childhood best friend. She'd moved back to town a month ago, and somehow, in thirty short days, she'd managed to become the centre of Zachary's universe. At first you thought it was sweet. Bailey needed help moving furniture? Zachary went. Her car wouldn't start? Zachary went. She couldn't figure out how to assemble a bookshelf? Zachary went. Then the requests became ridiculous. She couldn't open a jar. She heard a strange noise outside. She needed someone to accompany her grocery shopping. And somehow, Bailey always seemed to need Zachary most desperately whenever he was spending time with you. Movie nights. Cancelled. Romantic dinners. Interrupted. Quiet evenings together. Forgotten. And Zachary? He never hesitated. One phone call from Bailey, and he was already reaching for his car keys. The worst part wasn't that he kept leaving. It was how he treated you whenever you dared to question it. "Zachary, can't she ask someone else? We're supposed to be spending tonight together." You'd asked him that once. Just once. And for the first time in four years together, he had actually scolded you. "Seriously? Are you jealous of Bailey?" You'd stared at him, stunned. "She's my childhood best friend. She needs me. Stop being so unreasonable." "Zachary, I'm not asking you to abandon her. I'm asking you to stop abandoning our plans every time she calls." He'd scoffed. "You know what? I'm not doing this right now. Fix your attitude. We'll talk when you're being reasonable." And then he'd left. Again. You'd spent the evening wondering when exactly asking your boyfriend to spend time with you had become something you needed to apologise for. You knew one thing for certain. If the roles were reversed—if your own male best friend, Jaden, called constantly and you dropped everything to run to him—Zachary would absolutely lose his mind. He'd be jealous. He'd be furious. He'd demand boundaries. Yet somehow those same boundaries didn't apply to him. And the longer it continued, the more you wondered whether you were asking too much. Whether you'd done something wrong. Whether you deserved to feel like an inconvenience in your own relationship. But tonight? Tonight was supposed to be different. It was your fourth anniversary. You'd reserved a table at an elegant restaurant, worn something special, and arranged a surprise for Zachary. Four years deserved celebrating. And somewhere deep down, you still hoped he'd choose you. Just this once. But you also had a suspicion. So, before dinner, you posted a few photographs to your feed. A picture of your outfit. A photograph of the restaurant. And a caption. Four years with my favourite person. Happy anniversary, Zachary. Bailey followed you. She'd see it. And you wanted to know what would happen. You didn't have to wait long. You and Zachary had barely finished ordering when his phone started vibrating against the table. Incoming call: Bailey Evers. Your stomach sank. Zachary glanced at the screen. "Oh, it's Bailey. Give me a second, babe." He answered. "Hey, Bails. What's up?" A pause. His expression changed. "Wait, what? Are you okay?" Another pause. "Jesus, Bailey. Alright, alright. Calm down. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." He hung up. And there it was. That familiar apologetic expression. "Babe, listen. Bailey's cat scratched her, and she's freaking out. I need to go check on her." You blinked. Once. Twice. "Her cat... scratched her?" "Yeah. She's really upset." You stared at him. "Zachary. It's our anniversary." "I know, baby, but she's scared. I'll make it up to you." You looked down at the candle flickering between you. The untouched glasses. The beautiful restaurant you'd been so excited to visit. "Is she bleeding badly? Does she need medical attention?" He frowned. "No, it's just a scratch, but that's not the point. She's upset." You gave a small, disbelieving laugh. "Right." Zachary's expression hardened. "Don't start." Two words. Don't. Start. As though you were the problem. As though wanting your boyfriend to stay for one anniversary dinner was some outrageous demand. "Zachary, she's twenty-three years old. Surely she can handle a cat scratch without you rushing over there?" He exhaled sharply, already standing. "Seriously? We're doing this again? You're being unreasonable." You looked up at him. He went on, irritation creeping into his voice. "Bailey's been my best friend since we were kids. I'm not going to abandon her just because you're jealous." There it was again. Jealous. Unreasonable. The words he'd been throwing at you for a month. "Fix your attitude, okay? I'll call you later." With that, Zachary grabbed his jacket and walked away. On your fourth anniversary. For a cat scratch. You watched him disappear through the restaurant doors. For several seconds you didn't move. Then you looked at the empty chair across from you. And something inside you changed. You weren't even surprised anymore. That was perhaps the saddest part. You'd become so accustomed to being second that you'd almost stopped expecting to come first. Almost. But tonight, as you sat alone in a restaurant surrounded by couples laughing, talking and holding hands, a question entered your mind. What if this never changes? What if you married Zachary? What if you built a family together? What if someday you were in a hospital, giving birth to your child, terrified and needing him beside you... And Bailey called? Would he leave you then, too? Would he tell you to stop being unreasonable while he rushed off to rescue Bailey from another inconvenience? Your eyes stung. You swallowed hard. Then you glanced at the small wrapped anniversary present sitting beside your plate. Four years. Four beautiful years. And somehow, one month had made you question all of them. Your phone lit up. A message from Jaden, your best friend since childhood. Hey! Happy anniversary to you two! Hope Zachary's treating you like a queen tonight. You deserve it. You stared at the message. Then at Zachary's empty chair. And for once, you seriously wondered whether loving someone was enough reason to keep choosing them when they repeatedly refused to choose you. You slowly picked up your phone. He's not here, Jaden. His reply came almost immediately. What do you mean he's not there? Bailey called. Her cat has scratched her. Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again. You're kidding me. I wish I was. A moment later, your phone began ringing. Jaden. And somewhere across town, Zachary Hyland was driving toward Bailey's house, completely unaware that the girlfriend who'd spent four years loving him was sitting alone, questioning whether their relationship had a future. He assumed you'd still be there when he came back. Just like always. He assumed you'd forgive him. Just like always. He assumed another apology and a kiss would make everything right. But for the first time in four years, Zachary Hyland might have made a mistake that even love couldn't fix. And he had absolutely no idea. Not yet. Your phone is ringing. Jaden's name glows on the screen, Zachary's anniversary present sits unopened beside you, and the waiter is approaching with two plates of food. Two dinners. One empty chair. And one decision you've been avoiding for an entire month.