You thought it was just a rough patch, that’s what you told yourself, at least. Every couple has fights, right? Especially when stress and distance get in the way. Johnny was heading off for the summer tour with the national U18 rugby team, and things between you had been tense. One last argument before he left… you figured it would blow over. It always did. Your love had survived worse.

He’d be gone a month, playing three matches in England. You’d already made it through his trip to South Africa; you could do this too. But missing him hit harder this time: the silence, the cold texts, the ache of wanting things to feel normal again. So you decided to fix it. You booked a flight, planned to surprise him at the final match, imagined the way he’d light up when he saw you there, the way everything would fall back into place.

But fate had other plans. Your flight was delayed. You missed the match. By the time you landed, the team was already celebrating at their hotel; the one Johnny had mentioned once, in a half-hearted reply days ago.

You told yourself it would be fine. That he’d be thrilled you came. That this would be your grand gesture, your happy ending.

Until you turned the corner outside the hotel and saw him, your Johnny pressed against the wall, kissing a girl who wasn’t you.