Ethan and Parker ended up leaving the party right after his conversation with Nina. Max, Nina, and her friends stayed for another hour. All four of Nina's friends surrounded her like an impenetrable fortress. Despite Nina's insistence that she was "fine," it was obvious to everyone that she was quieter than usual and acting very withdrawn.

After their group left Naomi's apartment, Max was dying to know what had happened between her and Ethan, but the other girls didn't give him a chance to approach Nina. They hunkered down in Nina's room for the rest of the night. Carson, Zahara, Connie, and Shalani might as well have hung a "No Boys Allowed" sign on the door.

***

"How... have you been?" Ethan asked quietly.

"Well enough," Nina answered without making eye contact. "How about you?"

"I've been... amazing," he replied in sarcastic tones.

She grimaced. "Happy... to hear it."

His expression grew tight. Resentment seeped into his tone. "After you left New York, I tried to reach out to your grandmother, but she refused to tell me your whereabouts. She told me you left the US."

"奶奶, my grandma, was the one who wanted me to come out here. Why would you expect her to tell you anything?"

"你這個女人有夠狠。You're quite a heartless woman."

"Hmm."

Ethan glared at her. "I can't believe you blocked me from everything. I couldn't even send you a goddamn email."

Nina smiled tritely. "I know."

Ethan's eyes burned with anguish. "You left without saying goodbye."

"I didn't think I needed to say anything. We were broken up, right?"

"To you, maybe, but I thought... we were on a break."

"For a year?"

"We were still sleeping together."

Nina closed her eyes and whispered remorsefully, "Twice. It only happened twice."

***

Carson and Zahara reluctantly left for the airport the following morning, and Shalani and Connie took off soon after to catch their flights. Nina stayed in her room for the rest of the day. Max tried knocking on her door a few times. He brought her food and coffee. He brought her snacks. She ignored him every time.

He barely slept that night. His thoughts were plagued with Nina and Ethan and all the unknown possibilities that existed between them.

***

With a strained expression, Ethan declared, "I was waiting for you, 寧寧. I'm... still waiting for you."

"You have a new girlfriend," she reminded him archly.

He sighed. "She's not my girlfriend. My mom set us up."

Bitterness snuck into Nina's voice as she pivoted to another subject. A touchy subject.

"How's your mom doing these days? Parker looks like she embodies everything 阿姨, auntie, would want in a daughter-in-law. Congrats."

Ethan scoffed. "Don't play the victim card. You're better than that."

"Maybe I'm not better, though. Maybe I've always been petty and resentful, but I simply kept biting the bullet around your mom because... I loved you."

"You still love me," Ethan insisted. "I know you do. What we have is too strong, too special, to throw away."

Nina's eyes wavered with uncertainty. "Is it, though?"

Ethan reached for her wrist and lifted it to his face. He kissed the back of her hand. Then, he pressed his lips inside her palm and drew her close to his chest.

"You're everything to me, 寧寧. Everything I've done, I did it with our future in mind."

Nina burrowed her face into his chest. It felt so painful to be back in Ethan's arms again. Her mind kept telling her to push him away and run, but a small part of her heart wanted to find a reason to stay.

***

On Monday, Nina didn't go to work. Apprehension weighed on Max like a ten-ton anvil. All he wanted was to find out why Nina was so upset so he could do something to help her feel better. He knocked on her door again. No response. He brought her doughnuts. No response.

Right when he was debating whether or not to break down her door, the door swung open and out came Nina.

Dark circles clung to her puffy, red eyes like a raccoon. She had lost weight. She was breaking out all over her chin. Nina didn't look "fine" at all. In fact, she very much resembled an extra from a zombie movie.

Max nearly flinched at the sight of her, but he was happy to see her all the same. "Nina! You're alive!"

The corners of her mouth twitched. "Yeah... I'm alive."

***

"You're saying all the right things," Nina murmured, "but it still hurts because I know, in the end, you'll always side with family over me. As you should, though. I'd never go against my grandparents for a guy."

Pain twisted his handsome features. His voice grew desperate. "I know my mom has been hard on you, but... that's why I'm in med school right now. Once I become a surgeon, she won't be able to interfere nearly as much as she has in the past. I'm doing everything I can to give you the life you want, baby. I just need you to meet me halfway."

Nina placed her hands on his chest and gave him a gentle push. She took a step back. Her face remained pensive for a while. When she finally broke her silence, there wasn't any bitterness in her voice. Only sadness.

Softly, she expressed, "I've been meeting you more than halfway from the first day we started dating, 然然. Ránran. I bent over backward and contorted myself into someone my friends and family hardly recognized. Yet, I have barely anything to show for my sacrifices. After everything I did to change myself for you—the way I dressed, the way I talked, even the way I fucking thought about myself and the world around us—your mom still hated me, and your friends continued to call me a 'gold digger' behind my back. Maybe some things in life simply can't be overcome through sheer force of will—or love."

Ethan tried to protest, "寧寧, that's not true—"

Nina didn't let him finish. This time when she spoke, her tone carried a sharp bite.

"And, let's make one thing clear, the only reason you chose med school is not because of me. It's because becoming a surgeon was the only occupation your mom found acceptable outside of working for your dad's company. At the end of the day, 你還是寧願做個孝順的兒子，不願意做個好男朋友。You still prefer to be a good son rather than a good boyfriend."

***

Max grimaced and muttered, "I was... worried."

Those three words were probably the understatement of the year.

Nina's mouth curled into a half-smile. "About little, old me?"

Max nodded. "Yeah. You, um, kinda scared me."

She tilted her head to the side. "Really?"

What Max wanted to blurt out was: Yes, really! Because I like you so much. But I'm worried that your ex wants you back, and he's really good-looking and smart. And I didn't even graduate high school. And I'm terrified that you're going to pick him over me.

Although, what he ended up saying was, "Because you locked yourself up for two days. Are you... okay?"

Nina's eyes dimmed. "I dunno. I think so."

She smiled her wobbly smile, the one that made Max want to fold her into his arms and kiss her silly until it went away. As usual, he stopped himself, of course, but, this time, it was much harder than before because she seemed so genuinely hurt.

"What did you and Ethan talk about?" Max asked in a tentative voice.

Nina swallowed. Hard. She looked like she was about to cry. "Do you really wanna know?"

Max took a step towards her. He gazed down at her with a soulful expression.

"Only if you wanna tell me, but we can do whatever the fuck you want. I just wanna be here for you, Nina."