Page 308 of Faking the Goal

I narrow my eyes at him.

"Really?"

He gives me a small nod, but something still feels... off.

"By the way," I say, trying a different approach, "how are you and your girlfriend? Did you finally get to go home and see her?"

Conrad's shoulders sink almost imperceptibly before he lets out a quiet sigh.

"No." He looks away for a moment. "We're... taking a break."

The words catch me completely off guard.

"What?"

He gives me a shrug, trying to make it seem like it doesn't bother him nearly as much as I know it does.

"It's been a couple of weeks now."

My excitement immediately fizzles into concern.

For as long as I've known Conrad, he's talked about his girlfriend like she hung the moon. They've been together since high school, and every shift we'd worked together at the Velvet Lounge somehow ended with another story about something she'd said or done. Meanwhile, here I am standing in front of him practically glowing because I'm about to go on a date with Kentaro.

I suddenly feel guilty.

"Aww, Con..." I walk over and sit beside him. "What happened?"

He stays quiet for a few seconds, staring at the floor before finally answering.

"I don't really know. She just... started pulling away." He rubs the back of his neck. "I guess she got tired of waiting for me." His laugh is soft, but there's no humor in it. "With my work schedule, I barely had time to see her." He pauses before adding more quietly, "And... I think there might be someone else."

I stare at him in disbelief.

"What? No..."

He shrugs.

"I don't know that for sure. It's just... a feeling."

My heart breaks for him.

"I'm so sorry."

He offers me a tired smile.

"It is what it is."

"How are you holding up?"

He lets out a slow breath.

"I'm okay, I guess." He gives another small shrug. "Just trying to keep myself busy."

Before I can say anything else, Conrad's phone buzzes in his hand. He glances down at the screen before letting out a quiet sigh.

"The boss," he says, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

"Oh my gosh... you work tonight." I smack my forehead lightly. "Con, I completely forgot."