Chapter 4Memories Drift Away with the Wind

I cut him off. "I'm allergic to peaches."

Todd froze. "What? Since when?"

"Since I was born."

"Then why didn't you tell me earlier? Lula picked it out specially. You're wasting her kindness!"

I turned to see him holding a fork, looking irritated. He noticed my expression, then let out a heavy, dramatic sigh, as though he were making a grand concession.

"Fine. No more peach flavors for you from now on, okay?" he said, his tone still condescending.

He genuinely believed that I was just throwing a tantrum and that a minor compromise would make everything go away.

"Yeah." I didn't bother correcting him.

I just turned around and tucked my documents into my handbag.

Todd sat at the table, eating the cake. "Going on a business trip?"

I shrugged. "Back to my hometown."

He nodded thoughtlessly. "You haven't been back in a while. Oh, Lula mentioned she loved the yogurt from your hometown, and she really liked the local chili sauce, too.

"Bring some back for her. Make sure to check the ingredients carefully, though. She can't eat peanuts."

He took my silence as agreement. Reaching into a kitchen drawer, he tossed a clear plastic bag onto my suitcase. "For the road."

Inside was a crumpled, half-empty bag of chips and a stale bar of chocolate.

A few days ago, Lula had come over, and Todd had bought her lots of snacks. This was what she had left behind.

I walked past him and grabbed a pack of tissues.

Todd's voice cooled. "Are you seriously still acting up? I brought the cake and apologized. What else do you want? Fine, go home and cool off for a few days.

"When you get back, we'll have a nice talk at the rooftop restaurant. Lula already made the reservation."

"No thanks," I said, my back to him. "I'm afraid of heights."

He lunged forward, grabbing my arm and spinning me around. "When did you suddenly become afraid of heights? Do you even see me as your boyfriend?"

He paused. "You never told me about your allergies or phobias. How am I supposed to know? And then, you punish me when I make a mistake."

I looked up into his angry eyes.

Back when we first dated, he always said that I couldn't hide anything and that he could read every emotion on my face. Now he saw nothing and remembered nothing.

His phone rang on the table. He let go of me and answered the call.

Lula's crisp voice came through. "How was it, Todd? Did Harper like the cake? Did you guys make up?"

Todd rubbed his temples, frustrated. "No. She claims she's allergic to peaches."

"I'm so sorry," Lula whimpered. "I didn't know. Did you fight again? It's all my fault."

Todd sighed deeply into the receiver. "It's not your fault. She never told me. She only has herself to blame."

So, no matter what I did, it was always my fault.

As I bent down to tie my shoes, he continued, "Why are you crying? You did nothing wrong. Even I didn't know about her allergies."

I pulled my suitcase toward the front door. "Three years ago, at your first childhood friend group gathering, you announced to everyone that I had a severe peach allergy so they wouldn't accidentally order it.

"And when Jake wanted to go bungee jumping for his birthday, you told everyone I couldn't go because I was terrified of heights."

I looked at his back and added, "Even Lula remembers my boundaries better than you do."

His lips parted, but no words came out.

I stepped into the elevator, looking back into the apartment one last time. He was still holding the phone, but I couldn't hear Lula anymore.

"I'm not coming back," I muttered. "We're done."