The Expiration Date of Us

Chapter 1 When I found out my boyfriend, Julian, had bought expired tampons for me, I wanted to go to the store to get a refund. But the moment I looked closely at the receipt, my heart sank.

The receipt listed strawberries, red wine, and condoms—none of which I had seen. The only thing in the bag he brought home was that single pack of expired tampons.

The store address wasn't the local supermarket downstairs, either. It was a Costco eighteen miles away.

A few minutes after I called the store to complain, Julian rushed out the door. I followed him. From a distance, I saw him—usually so calm and composed—arguing frantically with a manager.

"If you fire her, you're going to lose your entire team's bonus!" Julian pressed anxiously, "What do I have to do for you to let her keep her job?"

The manager replied: "Unless the customer retracts their complaint."

With that, the manager dialed my number. Julian grabbed the phone from him, his voice full of desperation. "Hello..."

I stood a short distance away and spoke calmly: "I'm sorry, but I won't retract my complaint."

Both men whipped around at the sound of my voice.

It turned out that the woman he was throwing away his dignity to protect... was my recently divorced best friend.

...

Chloe's face instantly went deathly pale. She stammered out a panicked explanation: "Serena, please don't misunderstand! Julian and I just happened to run into each other here."

She was hiding half her body behind Julian, her fingers delicately hooking onto the edge of his shirt, giving it two gentle tugs. I knew that little habit of hers. She did it whenever she was scared. Back in high school, when we got cornered by some guys in the hallway, that was exactly how she held onto me.

The desperate, pleading look Julian had just seconds ago vanished completely. His brows knitted tightly together. "Since when did you become someone who goes out of their way to make life hard for people?"

The credit card he used to pay was mine. I had every right to file a complaint.

I walked closer to Chloe. A wave of citrus scent hit my face. It was the exact same scent that had been lingering on Julian lately. When I asked him about it out of curiosity, he just said it was the hand soap in the university bathrooms.

Now it all made sense. My chest tightened with a sharp, undeniable pain.

Seeing that I wasn't answering, impatience flared in his eyes. "Hurry up and retract the complaint. Chloe worked really hard to get this job."

With every word Julian said, Chloe's face grew paler. She and her exhusband were already divorced, but they were still fighting a brutal custody battle. If she lost her job, the judge would almost certainly award custody to her ex.

I handed the receipt to Julian. I didn't even mention the expired tampons. "The items on this receipt are missing. I'll retract the complaint when I find them."

Chloe practically swayed on her feet. Julian looked at the receipt, his expression complex, his lips pressed into a thin line.

I walked behind the checkout counter on my own and found the "missing" strawberries, red wine, and condoms. They were in a canvas tote bag. A bag I recognized instantly—it was Chloe's.

I retracted the complaint. The manager bowed repeatedly in thanks.

As we walked out of the store, Julian quickly caught up to me and grabbed my wrist. "I came out here this afternoon to look at a research site. I only found out Chloe was working here when I walked in. Please don't misunderstand."

His expression was entirely candid. But he didn't explain why those items were in Chloe's bag, nor why he had rushed out to defend her without saying a single word to me.

The lingering scent of citrus in the air made my stomach violently churn. "Okay. I don't misunderstand."

Julian let out a visible sigh of relief, completely missing the faint tremor in my voice. "Let's go back together, then."

He said that to Chloe.

The sky suddenly opened up, pouring rain. Julian took off his jacket and held it over Chloe, shielding most of her body. The two of them huddled together and ran into the rain. Chloe's hand naturally, smoothly rested on the small of his back.

It wasn't until Chloe was settled in the passenger seat and Julian was in the driver's seat that he finally remembered I was still standing by the store entrance. He rolled down Chloe's window, his hand considerately hovering over her head to keep the rain from blowing in. "Hurry up and get in! It's coming down hard."

Chloe, seemingly realizing how this looked, playfully swatted his hand away. "Go get Serena! Don't you know how to be a good boyfriend?" Then, she nudged his chest with her elbow, exactly like a flirting, honeymoonphase couple.

My eyes suddenly stung with unshed tears. I didn't wait for Julian to come out. I just opened the back door and got in myself.

It was stuffy inside the car. The AC was set to 77 degrees. Julian and I both ran hot; we always kept the car at 72. But Chloe got cold easily.

Chloe handed me a towel. I had never seen it in Julian's car before. "Quick, dry off." She reached out to turn down the AC, but Julian stopped her.

"Last time you caught a cold, you coughed for over a week. Don't be stubborn. I'm not staying up half the night to coax you through it again."

We had a system. Julian always set the morning alarms. But last month, for over a week, his phone was completely dead by the time we woke up. I had told him he needed a new battery. But it turns out, it was just dead from talking to Chloe on the phone half the night.

The tears fell before I could stop them. I hurriedly used the towel to wipe my face.

Chloe pulled her hand back, looking a bit awkward. "You're just worried about Serena, aren't you? You really are the perfect boyfriend."

Julian's face tightened. He let out a muffled, "Mhm."

Silence fell over the car. I thought he was going to drive Chloe home. Instead, he pulled up to a hot pot restaurant.

Back in college, we both worked at a hot pot place. To save money for tuition and dorm fees, we often ate the leftover, untouched food after customers left. He swore back then that once he made real money, he would never step foot in a hot pot restaurant again.

This was Chloe's favorite spot.

After we ordered, the waiter asked: "Mr. Sterling, do you want two extra tomatoes in the broth like usual?"

That was Chloe's specific habit. The waiter didn't ask Chloe; he asked Julian. Which meant they came here together. Often.

I sniffled quietly. Julian nodded. When the tomato broth was brought to the table, Chloe offered a sheepish smile: "Julian is so thoughtful. Serena just loves sweet and sour flavors."

Looking at the bowl of tomato soup she placed in front of me, I felt nothing but pure irony. I pushed the bowl aside. "This soup is too sour. I don't like it."

Chloe bit her lower lip, her face twisting into an expression of conflicted agony.

After we finished eating, Chloe habitually reached for the handle of the passenger door. I grabbed the edge of the door first. "Chloe, you should go home by yourself."

Her apartment was less than two blocks from the restaurant.

Julian instantly frowned. "It's late. I'm not comfortable letting Chloe walk alone. I'll walk her. If you're busy, you can head back first."

Chloe immediately objected: "I can walk myself! You take Serena home. Please don't fight with her because of me." She lowered her head, her eyes brimming with endless, unspoken grievances.

Julian's Adam's apple bobbed. His face was full of heartache and anxiety.

Watching the two of them play this agonizing game of hidden longing, it felt like a giant hand was squeezing my heart, suffocating me.

When we got home, Julian dropped a casual "I'm gonna shower first" and walked into the bathroom.

His phone on the nightstand lit up. I picked it up. Passcode incorrect. It wasn't the date he got his university offer anymore.

Guided by some dark intuition, I typed in Chloe's birthday. The phone unlocked.

I used to joke that he should change his passcode to my birthday. He called me a "cliché girlfriend." But somehow, without me knowing, it had already been changed to Chloe's.

My chest felt entirely hollowed out.

A message popped up from Chloe: "I'm home. Don't worry about me." That was the only message in their chat history. There was no other trace of anything.

I checked his banking app. And my heart stopped. The $250,000 we had saved up together... was completely gone. At that moment, my hands were shaking violently.

The transaction was from a week ago. The memo read: "Summit Realty." I remembered Chloe telling me that a house in the premier school district cost $300,000. But if a married couple bought it with a marriage certificate, they qualified for a $50,000 subsidy.

So... they had already secretly gotten married behind my back.

That $250,000. We saved it together to buy a nice apartment in the city. Julian and I had slept under overpasses, in damp basements, on park benches... During the hardest times, we literally starved ourselves just to scrape together fifty bucks to put in that account. The only thing that kept me going was the dream that one day, we would live in a nice house and have a home that truly belonged to us.

I slumped against the wall, my limbs completely numb, every ounce of strength drained from my body.

When Julian got into bed, he lay beside me and pulled me into his arms, just like he always did. "Are you jealous?" He asked tentatively. "I just forgot those things at the store. Chloe held onto them for me and called me to come get them. We just happened to run into you."

I wanted to ask him, so badly, how he could deliver a lie with such calm, unshakeable composure.

"Julian," I swallowed down the metallic taste of blood in my throat. "If I asked you to marry me right now, would you say yes?"

The air in the room went dead silent for a split second. "Yes." But his arm around my waist loosened just a fraction of an inch.

"I'm just kidding." After I said that, his tone became noticeably lighter. "Alright. Let's go to sleep."

This was our tenth year together. He knew better than anyone how desperately I wanted a home.

Behind me, his soft snoring began. But my tears had already soaked the pillow.

Late that night, the sound of a voice woke me up. Julian was standing on the balcony, a cigarette glowing dimly between his fingers. "Don't worry... she didn't give me a hard time."

I didn't catch the rest of what he said. Probably some sweet, intimate pillow talk. Because that gentle, adoring tone used to belong exclusively to me.

My heart was completely, utterly dead.

My phone screen lit up with a reminder for an unanswered email. It was an opportunity for junior faculty to attend a threeyear academic fellowship in Boston. Before, I thought Julian and I had stable jobs, that we would probably get married soon, and I didn't want to do longdistance. But now, none of those things mattered anymore.

I opened the email and typed my reply: "Serena Davis. Attendance confirmed."

After the fellowship in Boston, there would be an opportunity to secure a permanent teaching position there. So, I went to the university to process my resignation.

"I thought you were planning to stay in Seattle and get married to your boyfriend? Why the sudden decision to go to Boston?" A colleague asked curiously.

"He's moving out of state. We broke up." I casually lied. To "avoid conflicts of interest," Julian had never let us go public with our relationship.

"Aw, that's a shame," my colleague sighed. "Longdistance is brutal. That's why I'm so jealous of Dr. Sterling! Being able to secure a faculty position for his spouse—how lucky is that? Getting to work together every day."

My mind went completely blank.

When Julian first got hired, I had jokingly asked if he could use his status as a Ph.D. hire to get me a position at the university too. He had flatly, strictly refused: "I am a professor. I have to set an example. Do not push your entitled, privileged mindset onto me."

I walked toward Julian's office. He had just finished processing Chloe's onboarding paperwork. When she saw me walk in, Chloe instinctively shrank behind Julian.

I smiled. "We've been best friends for twenty years. Do you really have to act so terrified of me?"

"Serena, please don't misunderstand. I have my reasons..." Before Chloe could finish, Julian pushed his goldrimmed glasses up his nose. "Because of your complaint, Chloe was humiliated and gossiped about at the supermarket. That's why I helped her find a job here." "It's not easy for her, being all alone. She just wants to win custody of her child."

Chloe's soft, pathetic sobs echoed from behind him.

I looked dead at Julian: "She did it for custody. What did you do it for?"

"Serena!" Julian's voice was freezing cold. "Chloe is your best friend. How can you think so lowly of us?"

You gave her the house, the job, and the marriage certificate. And I'm the one who's thinking lowly of you?

My legs almost gave out. All the suffocating grievance and hatred I had swallowed poured out: "You two are the people I trusted most in the world! You went behind my back and slept together, and you're asking me what I'm supposed to think?!"

Smack.

Julian's hand struck my face.

Chloe looked terrified and rushed forward to hold me. "Julian, apologize to Serena right now!" "I..." Julian stared at the red handprint blooming on my cheek, his eyes suddenly filling with guilt.

I shoved Chloe away. She suddenly fell backward, her waist crashing into the edge of a desk. "Chloe!" Julian lunged forward, catching her and pulling her aside. As he did, a mug of scalding hot water on the desk was knocked over, splashing entirely onto my leg.

I trembled from the searing pain.

"Are you hurt?!" Chloe shook her head while leaning into his chest. "Check on Serena first."

Julian shot me a look of pure ice: "She put her hands on you. She got exactly what she deserved."

My leg was burning, but my heart was completely, permanently frozen.

"That $250,000. Half of it is mine. Give it back." I couldn't stop the sob from breaking through my voice.

Hearing that, Julian didn't look surprised. He just scoffed. "So you came to the university and caused a scene just for money?" He pulled his wallet out and threw two bank cards directly at my face. "Is this enough for you?" "You know perfectly well how much Chloe has suffered trying to get divorced and win back her kid." "It's just an apartment in a good school district. Serena, when did you become so horribly selfish?"

I stared at him. My cheek was still numb, and I could no longer feel the agonizing pain in my chest. A few seconds later, I let out a manic, borderline hysterical laugh.

Julian wrapped a protective arm around Chloe's shoulders. "You look like a complete lunatic right now."

They had been gone for a long time before I finally left the campus. I went back to the apartment and packed my bags. My flight was early tomorrow morning. As long as I made it through tonight, I could start a brand new life.

Just as I was dragging my suitcase down the stairs, Chloe ran into the building, sobbing uncontrollably. "Serena, please... I'm begging you, help me..." She dropped to her knees in front of me and grabbed my hands. "The high school alumni group is having a reunion tonight. Mark is forcing me to go. He said if I don't show up, I'll never see my kid again..."

Since Chloe and Mark divorced, the custody issue had been a nightmare. Mark frequently got violent with her, so she was terrified to see him alone. I had accompanied her to almost all of her court hearings.

I pulled my hands away and took a deep breath: "You can ask Julian to go with you."

The light in Chloe's eyes vanished. "I... Julian and I don't have that kind of relationship." "Please, Serena, I'm begging you. Just come with me this one time. I won't take that house! I'll give it back to you, okay?!" "I can't lose my baby!"

In the end, I couldn't bring myself to be completely heartless. After all, I had watched her child grow up. He even called me his godmother.

When we arrived at the reunion, I was shocked to see Julian there too. Our high school class president rushed over to greet us: "We were just waiting for our two beautiful ladies! Chloe, since you used to have that huge crush on Julian, I invited him too! Hope you don't mind?"

In high school, Chloe was the one who passed all the love letters between Julian and me. Over time, everyone just assumed that Chloe was the one secretly pining for him.

Chloe looked down, feigning a bashful smile: "No... I don't mind." "Come on, come on, tell us what happened with you two after graduation!" They were swarmed and pushed into the center of the crowd.

At a high school reunion, they were the stars of the show. Meanwhile, I—the actual girlfriend—looked like the third wheel. And Julian made absolutely no attempt to clarify things.

Realizing how pointless this was, I decided to head to the restroom and then go straight home. On my way down the hall, I ran into Mark. He was reeking of alcohol. "SSerena?" "You're the bitch who made my wife divorce me! Tell me... are you secretly in love with me or something?"

Looking at his disgusting, lecherous eyes, I felt violently sick to my stomach. I tried to turn and leave, but he blocked my path. "Spend the night with me, and I'll give the kid back to Chloe. Deal?"

Panic flared in my chest. I frowned and shoved him away. But he grabbed my arm and violently yanked me against his chest. "Stop playing hard to get! Let's see who's tighter... you or Chloe!"

"You bastard! Let go of me!" My screams drew people out of the private room. Seeing the scene in the hallway, Chloe suddenly let out a horrified shriek: "Serena! How... how could you try to seduce Mark?!"

Instantly, hushed whispers rippled through the crowd: "No wonder she was acting so sketchy when we asked her why she got divorced... turns out her husband was sleeping with her best friend."

Julian shoved Mark away and turned to interrogate me: "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Before I could even open my mouth, Chloe started acting like she was going to bash her own head against the wall: "The two people I love most in the world betrayed me! What's the point of even living anymore?!"

Julian grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. "Man, Chloe has it so rough. A single mom raising a kid... who knows what else she's gonna have to go through." "Yeah, really. Who's gonna want a divorced woman with a kid?"

Hearing the crowd, Chloe put on an even bigger show of wanting to die: "Let me go! Just let me die!" Julian held her tightly against his chest: "You still have me... you still have me!"

He comforted her, completely oblivious to the fact that I was still trapped by Mark just a few feet away.

I violently shook Mark off, marched up to Chloe, and raised my hand. Before my hand could even connect, Julian shoved me backward with terrifying force.

The back of my head slammed against the hardwood floor. A shard of broken glass sliced deep into my palm. "Are you having another psychotic episode?!" He roared at me.

Chloe was sobbing uncontrollably: "Julian, what am I going to do now? What am I going to do..." "Don't be scared. It's okay. I'm right here."

Julian pulled a velvet box out of his pocket. It was the exact ring I had shown him before—the one I loved. He had told me the diamond was "too big" and "too flashy."

Right then and there, he dropped to one knee in front of Chloe. "Even if the whole world abandons you, you will always have me."

I laughed. A bitter, agonizing laugh. When I had poured my heart out to him about the trauma of my abusive childhood, he had said those exact same words to me. I thought he was a god sent from heaven to save me. But I didn't realize... gods don't just save one person.

A high school reunion morphed into a proposal for the "high school sweethearts." The crowd erupted into applause. Under the spotlight, they wrapped their arms around each other and kissed.

Hearing the wail of police sirens outside, Mark had already fled the scene. I dragged my bleeding, bruised body out of the bar and into the night...