Chapter 1

On the night of our graduation trip, group leader Kelly suggested drawing room numbers for pairing.

"It's fate! No matter if you're a guy or girl, if you draw the same number, you share a room. How exciting!"

I'd been dating Catherine for three years of our four years in college. No one knew.

I drew a ball from the box and waited to be paired.

When Catherine's turn came, she called out "Number 7."

Kelly's voice instantly rose:

"The other person who drew Room 7 is... Victor!"

Victor was Catherine's ex-boyfriend.

The whole room erupted, except for me.

Before the game started, I'd overheard Kelly whisper to Catherine:

"Find the one with the circular bump—I specially saved it for you and Victor."

Since you two want to rekindle your romance, I'll make it happen for you.

The room assignments weren't even finished, but the atmosphere had already peaked.

Kelly distributed red wristbands to them, emphasizing loudly:

"Let me remind everyone of the rules! Same number pairs up—for these three days and two nights, you're bound together the whole trip. Go by wristband color, no solo activities allowed!"

Wolf whistles rang out from the crowd. Some girls deliberately winked at Catherine.

Victor smiled as he put on his wristband and took her small bag.

Catherine's face flushed deeper red as her petite frame shrank behind him.

Victor smoothly removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Cut it out, Catherine's shy."

"Already being protective! Everyone better watch out—if you upset Catherine, Victor will come after you!"

The teasing erupted into a chorus.

I stood outside the crowd, left hand gripping the ball, right hand pulling a heavy suitcase.

Before the trip, Catherine had stuffed her things into my suitcase:

"You'll be carrying my bag anyway. If you bring another suitcase, you won't be able to drag it."

She'd also pointed at the new jacket I bought:

"That one—I heard it gets cold there at night. Perfect for me to wear."

In our three years together, she never showed any intimacy with me in front of classmates, let alone wore my jacket.

So I was overjoyed, thinking she'd use the trip to make our relationship public.

But on day one of the trip, she wore Victor's jacket.

The bag she'd said I'd carry now hung from his shoulder.

I bent down to set my things down and cleared my throat, suppressing the hoarseness.

Then I raised my hand: "Um..."

Everyone looked over. Kelly still radiated excitement:

"What's up, Owen? Victor's your roommate—do you want to say something?"

Victor froze, his lips twitching unnaturally.

Catherine suddenly looked up, shooting me a nervous, warning glance.

But her nervousness was misplaced.

I simply held up my ball and asked:

"Who's Number 3?"

Kelly scanned the room and saw someone raise their hand on the other side:

"Me."

It was Maya, a girl with little presence in class.

Kelly laughed:

"Oh, Maya! I know you're single. What about you, Owen?"

"If you're single, you can room together. If you have a girlfriend, I'll switch you with a guy..."

I gently interrupted: "I'm single."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Catherine's eyebrows relax then furrow again.

She turned her head as if to look at Maya, but Kelly had already pulled out orange wristbands:

"Perfect! You're both single—maybe you'll become another couple!"

I accepted the wristband and nodded politely:

"Thanks."

As I picked up my suitcase again, I could feel a pair of eyes on me.

I didn't know what expression she wore at that moment. But probably... relief.

With room numbers assigned, we lined up to check in.

Victor went to call his family. Catherine dawdled, only handing over their IDs when I was the last one left.

"Go find Kelly. Tell him you don't want to room with a girl. Switch to a guy or get a single room. You'll cover the extra cost."

She kept her voice low, eyes straight ahead, not even a sideways glance at me.

I texted my parents to let them know I'd arrived safely, not looking up:

"Why?"

"What do you mean why? You're not single. How can you room with the opposite sex?"

"What about you? Are you single?"

Catherine's fingers paused, her tone carrying a hint of petulance:

"This was the game rule from the start. I'm just respecting the results of the draw."

My voice was soft:

"I'm also respecting the results of the draw."

Her almond eyes widened. Before she could speak, I took my room card and turned away.

I'd only taken a few steps when Kelly announced loudly:

"Everyone come to the screening room in half an hour. I've booked it out."

"Let's get nostalgic and watch the documentary from our freshman year sports festival!"

My steps didn't falter. I just adjusted my grip on the suitcase handle.

The freshman year sports festival documentary was a record of Catherine's passionate pursuit of Victor.