Landon, buoyed by his ability to splurge, quickly bought three cones of ice cream. He handed one to me, but I politely declined. “Thank you, but I don’t need it.”
His expression darkened at my refusal. “Can you be a little nicer? I bought them for you!”
Brittany, ever the opportunist, grabbed the cones, one in each hand. “Landon, you’re such an idiot! Olive just got out of the hospital—of course she can’t eat cold food! How could you forget that? But I guess you remember my menstrual cycle just fine.”
With that, she skipped ahead, taking playful bites from both cones like a carefree child, her innocence shining through. Landon’s embarrassment was palpable as he hurried after her. “Brit, you can’t eat so much cold food! You’ll end up with diarrhea!”
Just as he finished his warning, a sudden scream echoed nearby, slicing through the air.
The crowd surged in a chaotic frenzy, people running and shouting in panic. “Run! There’s a murderer up ahead!”
Without hesitation, Landon shielded Brittany, pulling her close as they both hurried back, quickly disappearing into the throng. I felt a surge of urgency, following the current of terrified shoppers as they fled the mall.
From a distance, I spotted Landon and Brittany. She flung herself into his arms, sobbing for a moment before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. In that instant, it felt like I had become invisible; I was no longer a part of their world.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, jolting me from my thoughts. I pulled it out to hear my mother’s warm voice. “Oli, happy birthday!”
A smile crept onto my face despite the chaos around me. “Thanks, Mom! I’m really happy. I’ll see you tonight!”
After the call, I took a taxi home alone, the weight of the day’s events pressing down on me.
I hurriedly packed my belongings, dragging my suitcase toward the entrance. The keys, adorned with couple-themed trinkets, hung on the wall like a bittersweet reminder of what once was. I plucked them off, extracted the trinket, and tossed them into the trash can before hanging the keys back up.
"Goodbye, Landon."
"Goodbye to the boy you once were!"
