Page 38 of Truly, Madly, Deeply

“Be serious, please.”

Lulu rested a warm hand atop hers. “I love you, Truly, I do, but that’s your problem. You’re so serious these days and I could strangle Justin because I know he’s the reason. Because you always had to be the responsible one. I don’t know when it happened, but somewhere along the line he stopped treating you like a partner, and he expected you to—to practically be his mother.”

Truly wrinkled her nose. “That’s not—”

“It’s true and you know it. And I know you did it because you loved”—it must’ve taken a lot for Lulu to say the word, her nose wrinkling and lips pursing distastefully—“Justin and because you have a big heart and you wanted so badly to see the best in him. You wanted to believe he could be better, but you? You deserve so much more than six years wasted waiting on a pumpkin to turn into Prince Charming.”

Truly sniffled into the dregs of her beer. “You’re the best. Really you are, but I—I’m kind of a mess right now, if you hadn’t noticed. I’m far from being in the right headspace for a relationship.”

Even if she was ready for one? A divorce—sorry, family lawyer and a romance author? Everyone knew that, like enemies to lovers and secret babies, opposites attract only worked well in fiction.

Lulu scoffed. “He’s cute, but Christ, who said anything about a relationship?”

Truly frowned.

“Sweetheart, I’m not suggesting you marry the guy. I’m suggesting you go get your back blown out by the dude who’s currently sitting at home reading books you wrote and texting you after asking his sister for your phone number.”

Truly pressed a condensation-covered hand against her burning cheek.

After she and her high school boyfriend had amicably broken up after graduation, she’d gone on a string of disastrous dates with guys who’d made it clear they were more interested in getting in her pants than remembering her name. She’d put herself out there, gone to parties, joined a few of the supposedly less sleazy dating apps, and just when she was ready to call it quits and take a break from the dating scene? She’d locked eyes with Justin across the campus quad and the rest, as they said, was history.

Truly hardly thought her heart was located inside her vagina, but she’d never had a one-night stand, a fling. She didn’t know if she was built for casual, let alone whether that was what she wanted.

“I don’t even know if Colin’s single. I don’t even know if he likes women. Even if he does, that doesn’t mean he likes me. The point could be entirely moot.”

“Don’t be dumb.” Lulu drained her beer, stood, and pointed at Truly. “I’m going to hit the head. While I’m gone? You, missy, are going to ask that boy if he’s single, you hear me?”

No. No way. She shook her head. “I am not doing that.”

“Come on.” Lulu rolled her eyes. “At least check his Instagram for clues.”

“Clues? What kind of—”

“You’re smart. Figure it out.”

“Lu, I can’t just—”

Lulu threw up deuces as she disappeared down the hall.

Truly sighed and slumped against the sticky table.

Screw Lulu.

She was not going to open Instagram, and she definitely was not going to search for Colin.

Truly glanced at her phone. She wasn’t.

What were the chances of him being on IG, let alone his profile even being public?

Truly picked up her phone and set it right back down.

The chances didn’t matter because she wasn’t going to look because she didn’t care. She didn’t.

Her thumb hovered over the IG icon on her home screen, but she wasn’t going to do it. She wasn’t. She was just going to scroll her feed, maybe watch a few stories, and—

Search: Colin Mc—

He was the number one search result. Algorithms were terrifying and Truly? Truly was weak.

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