The hunger reached Miguel once he settled down. He was a drunk mess, tired from dancing around inside the club. His ears were buzzing and his throat was sore from yelling past the music to be heard.

"We should go to McDonalds."

Cold air hit his skin as soon as he left the suffocation of the masses and reached outside. He shivered and fastened his coat, shielding himself.

"What?" Jenny asked, pulling out a cigarette.

"McDonalds. I'm hungry."

She nodded and took the cigarette to her lips. Her back met the outside wall of the club and she reached for her lighter. He was staring at her, dumbfounded, and she glanced back with the same confused look plastered on her face.

"What?" she asked for the second time. "Oh, was it an invitation?"

Miguel rolled his eyes. "No, I was just naming food chains. Do you want to come or what?"

"Oh, yeah, totally."

She started walking up the street, and he jogged a little to catch up to her.

"Isn't it the other way?" he asked.

Jenny stopped, looked at the street in bewilderment. She pointed to the side where she was walking towards, squinting. Then, restarted walking towards the new direction with Miguel behind.

He stared at the night sky, at every twinkling star his eyes could reach. On the lights of whiskey and everything else, they seemed blurry, but if he focused just enough, he could distinguish one spark from the others.

"What are you doing this summer?" he asked, after bumping into her due to his stargazing.

"What does it matter to you?" She blew out a cloud of smoke.

"It doesn't. I was just making small talk."

Silence fell between them once more, like a barrier separating them. It bothered him before and it bothered him now. Despite having made peace, they weren't truly friends and they couldn't keep a long conversation.

After a moment, Jenny replied, "I'll be travelling to some place sunny and cheap."

"With your boyfriend?"

She shook her head. "I broke up with that asshole ages ago."

"Sorry about that."

"Doesn't matter. I don't care."

They reached MacDonalds, and Jenny threw the blunt out. The inside was almost void, a ghost town populated only by the few workers. Each ordered at the counter and waited for their order to be ready.

"What about you?" It was her turn to ask. "What are you going to do for summer?"

He shrugged. "I'll probably just stick here for work. Might take a couple weeks to go home to my parents. I wish I could travel somewhere, though."

"Have you noticed summer is still far away?"

"It was the first thing that came to mind to break the silence," he complained. "Don't mock me."

She laughed. "Where do you want to travel to?"

"Italy?" he thought out loud. "Maybe Sweden, Japan, Thailand..."

"I'd like to go to Thailand," she interrupted. "Seems like a nice place."

He nodded. "I'll tell you what. If in ten years we haven't gone to Thailand, we'll go together."

She eyed him suspiciously. "Why would I want to go anywhere with you? Especially in ten years when I've long forgotten your face."

"You don't have to. It was just a suggestion."

The worker called out for them to get their orders and they reached out to grab the trays. Miguel didn't give her time, already motioning to a table close by. She stared at his back, wondering why she was at a MacDonalds in the middle of the night with him.

"Fine. We'll go to Thailand."

🖤🤍🖤

Andrew starred at the movement of his hot chocolate as he stirred it. A small whirlpool kept spinning, even as he took the spoon out and threw it in the sink. He took a small sip, which he immediately regretted, given how hot it was. He touched his upper lip and winced in pain.

"Not as good as Nicole's," he wondered out loud.

It gave him a certain satisfaction to voice his thoughts, picturing she would show up at any second and mock him for it. She would walk into the kitchen, laugh at how silly he was, and hug him from behind. Perhaps she would make him a new hot chocolate, one that tasted just the way he liked it. Perhaps she would kiss his sore lips again and again until he could only feel her.

He shook his head, knowing it was just a lie he kept telling himself. When he knocked on her door to explain a second time, she still didn't want to hear it. She was being stubborn, which was the same as saying she was being Nicole, but it never thought it would infuriate him the way it did now. He didn't want to give up on her. He kept hoping she would change her mind. But deep down, he knew it was a lost cause.

"You're being stupid," he told himself, running his hands through his hair. "Giving her space won't make her change her mind."

He couldn't think much about it, though. A tear could fall out with no warning, and after the first drop fell, the rest would flood his face, and the emotions he was feeling within would be reflected on the outside too.

His hands wrapped around the mug, the heat burning, and he walked towards the living room. A TV show would hopefully make him think of something else. One he could just watch and forget about later.

The doorbell rang throughout the house, and he froze. A frown deepened on his forehead as he tried to guess who could be at the door. He decided it had to be Alice who forgot something, as his university friends didn't know where he lived and no one else would visit.

Andrew opened the door with little thought and leaned against the doorway. His eyes widen ever so slightly as he saw the woman he had been daydreaming about all afternoon.

"Hey," he said, almost in a whisper.

She waved weakly and forced a momentaneous smile. Her eyes diverted between him and the stone covered wall that grew greenish by the day.

"I'm sorry I threw a lamp at you."

Andrew squeezed his lips tight to keep himself from laughing, but eventually a smile twisted his lips up. He didn't even know what was it he found funny about the situation. He just did.

"Yeah, that was kind of uncalled for."

She nodded. "I was mad and all I could think about was how you were living your best life while I was here, convincing myself you weren't coming back. And I'm still mad. You ghosted me for an entire month. But... I think I should hear what you want to tell me. If only to give myself closure."

He didn't like how that sounded. At the sight of her, he thought she would finally forgive him, but wanting closure seemed like she was ending things officially.

"Closure?"

She stared at him. "You hurt me. I'm not just going to forgive and forget."

He didn't expect her to, but if she was going to break up with him regardless, she could leave already. If she was done with him, he wanted to be alone, not help her build a portfolio of reasons to back up her decision.

"So what?"

"So, I don't know!" She gestured around. "That's what I want you to tell me. I want you to give me a reason to be with you, because my heart says yes, but my head says no."

He shrugged. "I suggest you listen to the heart."

"I know you do. But the head is the one keeping me from having the shit love life everyone else has."

"It's keeping you from having a love life at all." He rolled his eyes, but stepped away from the door. "Come in."

She did and followed him to the sofa where they had shared so many nights watching movies in the dark. He sat in a corner and she followed suit, waiting for him to say something.

"What made you change your mind?" he asked. "What made you go from throwing lamps at me to sitting here?"

She rolled her eyes at the comment. "Carol. Plus, I went to an alcoholic meeting the other day, and they made me see things in a new light."

He stiffened. It was no secret Nicole was a heavy drinker, but he didn't think she would seek help. When they were together, she didn't go out to party as much, and he stopped her from refilling her cup when she was loopy.

"I didn't- You-" He was unsure of what to say, so she interrupted him.

"Things got out of control this past month, so I'm quitting," she explained. Noticing his expression, she added, "Don't blame yourself, it was on me."

"I'm still sorry. If I had left with you-"

"Why didn't you?"

He stared at her. All he wanted was to tell her everything, but he didn't know where to start or how to make her understand. She did what she wanted as she pleased. She wouldn't understand how he was compelled to do what he was told.

"I- um... I made a deal with my father. I had to give back all the money I took from him so he wouldn't go to the police."

She blinked. "I'm sorry, police? What are you talking about?"

He bit the interior of his cheek, contemplating his words. He didn't want her to think he was a white-collar criminal, even if that could describe him.

"I took money from him before coming here. I knew the job wasn't enough... the job I blew when I didn't come back from New York." He sighed, searching for understanding in her eyes. "I had to give back what I hadn't spent, and I had to stay there until I could give him the amount I used."

Nicole couldn't mask the shock. She got up and started pacing through the living room, looking at everything but him. It made him anxious. He just wanted her to say she understood.

"I have so many questions," she said. She sat down and got up again, hands on her face. "It's not making sense. Andrew, it's not making sense!"

He got up, discarding the now cold, hot chocolate on the centre table, and held her hands away from her face, kissing her knuckles lightly. "Ask me."

"I-I... Why'd you have to take money from him? Andrew, couldn't you just ask? You're rich, for fuck's sake. Why didn't you just ask? Surely he wouldn't have minded. They're rich!"

He shook his head. "They're not like that. You know they're not. He wanted me to be his heir, to study what he wanted me to study in the college he wanted me to attend so I could take his place when the time came. I would've never been free to do what I wanted."

She shook her head. "Surely there were other ways. They... You... There had to be other ways!"

"I didn't feel like there were," he whispered.

Nicole freed herself from him, walking towards the fake fireplace and leaning against it. She stared at the wall for a long time, feeling his eyes on her. They were both in pain and it wouldn't end so soon.

"How did you pay him back in only a month?"

"I sold the apartment."

She stared at him, mad at how it still made no sense to her.

"The apartment bought with his money!" she pressed.

"Yes, but it was a gift. It was mine. It was in my name," he said. "He accepted it, and that's what matters."

"And it was enough to pay for everything you spent here?"

Andrew didn't go out that much, but he was in The Bookmark all the time, buying drinks and food as the day progressed. It wasn't just tuition; it was water and electricity bills. A single occupant and limited use of the house reduced the expenses, but it was still an enormous mansion.

"It was a penthouse, Nicole. It was plenty." He took a couple of steps towards her, watching her reaction intently. "You realise we're in a country with an economy very different from the US? I paid my debt and still pocketed some money that was left. But I need a job fast or I'm fucked."

"What about this house? Does he not want it back?"

"This one is mom's. She realised I was here a while ago, but she kept quiet because she was afraid my father would take me straight to jail."

She nodded while staring at the wall. Every cell in her body was fidgety. It was a lot of information withheld from her in the past. She was finding out things about him that never even crossed her mind. They didn't change her feelings, but her mind was a mess.

"So, I guess now the only thing left for you to do is go crawling back to him and ask for forgiveness. Or you're fucked," she mimicked him.

"I wouldn't do that even if I could. Which I can't because part of the deal was that he would disinherit me."

Nicole stared at him as if he had grown a second head. It made him uncomfortable. The entire conversation was making him uncomfortable, but he was making the sacrifice so she could forgive him.

"What? Why?"

He found that a stupid question. It was pretty obvious to him. It should be to her too. He's told her many times what his father was like, how much they loathed each other. It should be clear to her.

"Isn't it obvious? Because I'm not his perfect little miracle son. I've never been. It was clear since the day I was born I was flawed, and even if he tried to shape me into perfection, I only went astray. He's done with me now. He has Abigail. She might not be his blood, but she does the part better than I do."

She looked down. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It's better this way."

He closed the distance between them and went for a hug. She didn't resist. Her arms wrapped around his waist, floppy and unsure. It was still progress.

"Why didn't you..." She sighed and looked up at him. "Why didn't you reply to my calls?"

"Yeah, about that... I kind of don't have a phone."

She stepped back so she could look at him. A frown took over her face. He had missed that frown more than anything. More than her smile, more than her voice. It was the expression that coated her face most of the time. When they met and every day for the longest time, he had got used to it.

"How the hell do you not have a phone?"

"It broke. Got smashed under a foot," he explained. "Let's say my dad and had our share of fighting and yelling before we came to a settlement we both could agree on."

"You're crazy!" she exclaimed. "You're all crazy. Your whole family is crazy!"

He stared at her. "So is yours, though."

She shrugged. "Okay, fair."

Nicole sat back down on the sofa, twisting her hands in her lap. He looked at her, expecting a verdict. For a moment they were silent, letting everything that had happened sink in.

"You're free from everything now?" she asked.

"Ready to start anew. Hopefully, with you."

She swallowed. "I think- I think I'd like that."

Relief washed over his body as he heard those words. He walked once more towards her and fell on his knees in front of her. He held her hands close to his chest, his eyes on hers. There was never something in the world as beautiful as her eyes, her ice cold, sky coloured eyes.

"So you forgive me?"

"Of course." She smiled. "I had brought the necklace you gave me to throw it at your face when you gave me a sheepish excuse, but I can forgive what happened. Though I am very surprised with what I just learned and you have to promise no more secrets."

He laughed. "Sure. You'll know everything that is going on in my life from now on."

"Good. Now get off the ground," she said, and he did. "Is that hot chocolate?"

He looked at the forgotten mug. "It's cold chocolate, and it tastes awful. Not like the one you make for me."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not making you hot chocolate."

Andrew pouted, and she pushed his face away from her, laughing at his audacity. He smiled and pulled her hand away, attempting to steal a kiss from her. She avoided him at first, but ended up holding his face in her hands and pressing her lips to his.

"I love you," he muttered against her lips.

"I know. I love you too."

"Then make me the hot chocolate."

She yanked him away again, and he fell with his back on the sofa. He was chuckling at her reaction, and soon, so was she. After one month of being apart, they were happy to be together, being silly and just being them.

"I'm glad you kept the necklace," he said. "I thought you'd have pawned it by now."

She shook her head and fetched a thin golden chain from inside her pocket. It shone in the light of the room, with one word in the middle.

"Boundless," she said. "I still don't know what it means."

He sat up, staring at the word. "Well, I don't have a phone to give you a dictionary meaning, but it's something without limits. Something that seems to have no end."

"So... it's something infinite?"

He held each side of the necklace and put it around her neck. She moved her hair out of the way and let him clasp the ends. His fingers were cold, and she had to stop herself from shuddering once they grasped the skin of her neck.

"Well, yeah, I guess. But it also beats everything," he explained.

She leaned back on the sofa. "Sounds like the cheesy description of love. The cliché love."

"It does. But don't you think it is also like our love?"

Her lips twisted into a smirk. "So now you're saying that we're cliché. Good to know."

"That's not what I mean... Stop laughing!"

She couldn't. She was trying to control the giggling, but he was looking at her in such a serious matter it was hard. He was being too lovesick and extra sugary.

"Sorry!" She lifted her hands in defence.

"You're still laughing..." he complained, annoyed at her.

"Okay, okay. I stopped."

A smile was still plastered on her face, but she was trying to take him seriously.

"I meant that we love each other infinitely and with no limits."

"You are so cheesy it's annoying." She scoffed.

He rolled his eyes. "Don't be stubborn, just accept it is sweet."

"Yes, darling, you are very sweet," she said and kissed him once more, despite sulky he looked.

"That's not what I... You know what? Forget it. I can't reason with you," he dismissed the matter.

Andrew got up, grabbing his cold drink and walking towards the kitchen. He was done with the conversation and her dismissal of his love confession. He should've expected it, but after being so close to losing her, he wasn't ready to laugh about those things.

"Are you not smart enough?" she asked, the smirk still visible.

"Shut up." He was annoyed at her now. Still, he stopped and gazed upon his beautiful girlfriend. He needed to say it one more time. "I love you. Did you know?"

She smiled. "Yeah, I know. I love you too. Boundlessly."

The End of Part 1

Thank you all for reading and for getting this far. You are the absolute best! Don't forget to vote and comment all your favourite parts.

Part 2 (10 chapter short story) is coming soon so keep the book in your library, pretty please with a cherry on top.

Why do I suck at endings? Nobody knows. All credits for Miss Jenny Yun, Thailand an everything that is about to go down between her and Miguel off camera goes to vxy_1106. And I also want to thank my consellour for always reading, loving, fangirling and keeping me motivated. This one was for you GipinhoJacob, as are all last chapters. Without them this trainwreck wouldn't exist. And thank you everyone that read, silent and unsilent.

And this was Boundless for your satisfaction <3