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“But Celeste!” whined Ty, following Stark to the campus cafeteria's salad bar. He had a deep dinner plate filled to overflowing with Cocoa Pops on his tray, as well as a protein shake. She had been endeared by his breakfast choices, once.
Their first three dates had been accompanied by smoothies. A nice, slow dipping into love, it had seemed.
Now she wondered if he had been broke, back then, too. He slung his monthly allowance at games and consoles and accessories for his Mercedes.
Dinner – the first one – had been extravagant and felt special, after the casual start to their acquaintance. The stress had been low, with the pressure of making a first impression removed. She'd been able to focus on him shifting gears to seriously wooing her.
Now, she wondered how many freshmen girls he had been stringing along at the same time.
The diamond earrings – so outrageous a first date gift and not at all her normal style – she had worn every day. She normally wore hoops and earcuffs she'd designed and made up from her engineering left-overs herself.
Now, she wondered if he regifted the earrings his exes returned when they broke up with him.
“I told you, it's... it's different with you. You're -”
“Richer?” she interrupted him, before he could make another bad attempt to apologise. Well. Defend himself under the guise of apologising.
“Why do you think I care for that. I paid for all our dates!”
“Hm-hm. Nice and old-fashioned. Just as old-fashioned as being the husband in charge of the finances after marriage. Tell me. Were you thinking my daddy would hand me over like a good little patriarch after you came round for Christmas and Easter? Cause my father is an atheist, honey, and doesn't care one bit what I do.”
She laughed in his stupid face, the broken shards of their relationship made the sound feel like it cut her throat open.
He stared down at her, tray still in hand.
“You don't know me,” she told him. “You don't know my family. So how can you claim to love me?”