Chapter 2

We brought out the cake and lit the candles. Our glasses clinked as we toasted. My best friend, Molly, who happened to be my only friend, and the man I loved with all my heart, Martin, wished me a happy birthday together. "Happy birthday, Willow!" "Make a wish!" "Honey, I'll spend every single one of your birthdays with you! I swear I will!" "How delusional. I'm the only one that Willow wants to spend her birthdays with, okay? It really doesn't matter whether you're there or not!" "Don't be so unreasonable, Ms. Summers. I'm her boyfriend. I should be the one celebrating her birthdays with her!" "Well, Willow and I are best friends! No one can tear us apart. Of course Willow would want to spend her birthdays with me." I opened my eyes and blew out the candles. Thin plumes of smoke rose up in front of me, obscuring Martin and Molly's excited faces. That was just an old memory, not from my 18th birthday. This time, neither of them laughed nor joked around. They simply said "Happy Birthday" to me after we clinked glasses. Molly seemed a bit distracted. When she placed her glass back on the table, she knocked her wrist against the corner of the table. She hissed and frowned in pain. Martin hurriedly stood up. "Are you okay?" The moment the words left his mouth, he seemed to realize how strange his reaction was. They both turned to look at me anxiously. I, however, simply stared at the gorgeous cake in front of me. Molly made my birthday cake for me every single year without fail. She made it again this year, too. There was a pair of girls molded from chocolate and marzipan perched on the top of the cake. They were holding hands. When I was 15 years old, I got my period, but I didn't have the money to buy sanitary pads. The other girls in class pointed at my stained pants and laughed at me loudly. Molly, who had just transferred over to my school, took her jacket off without a word and tied it around my waist. Then, she grabbed hold of my hand and glared back at all the other girls who were mocking me. From that day onward, she entered my depressing, dark life like a warm spring breeze. I thought about the wish I had repeated silently to myself and laughed as tears welled up in my eyes. "Another year older. Time really flies, doesn't it? Come on, let's cut the cake!" My wish was for everyone I loved to get everything they wanted and for them to be happy forever. As for me, on the other hand? I didn't mind. I really didn't mind. A week after my birthday, I received a confirmation letter stating that my registration for the exploration project in Stravia had been successful. Even though I majored in environmental science, I was hoping that the exploration project would teach me even more secrets of nature. I never thought I would join an overseas exploration project that spanned over 20 years. This time, however, I signed my name with zero hesitation. Before I sent my signed copy back, I suddenly started doubting myself. I hurriedly closed the tab with my supervisor's e-mail on it and began to randomly look through all the apps on my desktop. I accidentally clicked on a heart-shaped icon with silver sparkles decorating it. Momentarily frozen, I finally remembered what it was. It was an app that Martin had made a few years ago. He had learned programming since he was a child. The app was called "Sweet Nothings". It was something like a Notes app, but for goodnight messages between lovers. Only I had access to it. It was full of the random things he'd write at night before he fell asleep. He said we could keep it for memory's sake after we grew older. The contents in the app almost felt like a long poem that held his love for me. "My wish came true! Willow and I both got great results on our SATs. We made it into the same university!" "I'm too excited to sleep. It's the first time you said you love me. I can't get enough of how red you get when you're shy. I swear I'm going to love you for the rest of my life." "Even though I miss you, I know you must be asleep by now, so I won't call you. Goodnight, my love. I hope I can accompany you in your dreams, too." "Today, I walked past the restaurant we used to go to all the time. It's closed for good now! It's okay, though. I already learned how to make your favorite spaghetti carbonara. I bet it's going to taste exactly the same." "Willow, your training is only going to be for five days, but every single day without you by my side feels like a year to me."