Chapter 1The 300-Day Streak

The day we broke up, everyone tried to console me. “It was just a few messages, Maya. It’s not even an emotional affair.”

I just shook my head. “Every ‘meaningless’ little thing they shared was a bid to be part of each other’s lives.”

And an endless desire to share is just love, looking for a connection.

* * *

I was planning Evan’s birthday surprise when I stumbled on the Reddit post.

Title: [r/relationships] I want to confess to my crush on his birthday, but he has a girlfriend. AITAH?

The comments were a sea of "YTA."

She kept editing the post, desperate for support.

[EDIT 1: I’m a med student, currently in residency at a top-tier hospital. My education and future career potential are, objectively, far beyond his current girlfriend's.]

[EDIT 2: His GF got into her program through some scholarship fast-track. I don’t need to explain what that implies about the 'rigor'.]

[EDIT 3: Our whole resident group has known him for almost a year, and none of us have ever seen a picture of this girl. I honestly don't think he’s that into her.]

[EDIT 4: The GF seems a bit... clingy. I see his texts. She just sends these long, angsty paragraphs. I, on the other hand, can show my affection through actual, practical support. I'm smart, a solid 8/10, and people say I have a high EQ. We’d be a power couple. He knows I can be a real asset to him.]

[EDIT 5: We’ve known each other for 332 days. Our Snapchat streak is 300 days.]

...

I clicked on the photo she’d attached. A close-up of a man's wrist resting on a steering wheel.

Even without a face, I recognized the watch. It was the gift I’d given him for his twenty-fifth birthday.