Page 29 of Forever Love-Reimagined

“You haven’t done anything special for me in a long time. And you might not realize this, but I have options. Other people hit on me all the time.”

I was certain that was true, but she said it like a threat, which only added fuel to my fire.

“Like right before we left your office, that guy Greg came out and was chatting me up.” Her words were like a slap to the face, and I wasn’t sure which was worse, how I made her feel, or that she believed Greg would treat her better.

“Are you interested in him?” If that was the case, there was nothing I could do. I wouldn’t go to war for someone’s attention. That wasn’t who I was, and I already began pulling away from her.

“No, Blake. I’m not interested in him. I’m just saying I have other choices, and he seems very willing to shower me with attention. He’s been texting me all afternoon, which is more than you’d even think of doing during the day. I don’t want to be your fallback. I want to be your number one.”

The words were out of my mouth before I fully processed them. “Steph, we need some time apart.” My head wasn’t in a good place, but seeing Steph right now made me physically ill.

“Wait, Blake.” She held my arm to keep me from getting up. “I don’t want you to leave, but I’m tired of feeling like you’re with me out of comfort instead of desire. I wanted you to see I was worth fighting for.”

“Steph, I don’t do games. I want open and honest communication. And I’m truly sorry if being comfortable and happy with you were bad things. When we talked at the café on Monday, I thought we’d gotten back on the same page, but it appears we both need to figure some stuff out before we have this conversation.” I stood up, and this time she let me.

“I need some fresh air. We can discuss things later.” I grabbed my shoes and started toward the door. I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I wouldn’t stay here with her any longer.

Me: Ty, I need you. Can you meet me at The Wine Bar?

Ty: Sure. When?

Me: NOW! I typed in all caps so he would understand the severity.

Ty: OMW

I was already sitting at the bar when Ty grabbed the stool beside me.

“Babe. What’s going on? Shouldn’t you be with Steph?”

I shook my head as I waved the bartender over and asked for a Corona Fog. It was a beer and tequila kind of night.

He sighed, pushing the drink away. “I haven’t seen you like this before. Tell me what happened in the two hours since you left?”

I reached for the drink, but he slapped my hand away. “Your tastebuds will thank me later. Now spill it.”

I wanted to be mad at him for telling me what to do, but he was right. That drink was nasty, but I was in a self-loathing place right now.

“She wants to fuck Greg.”

Ty began coughing incessantly. I hoped he wasn’t choking because I wasn’t in a place to give him the Heimlich. Eventually, he composed himself and cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, what? Greg who? Your nemesis?”

“The one and only.”

“Has she seen him? Talked to him? How? Why?” He gagged, and those were my sentiments, too.

“They met outside while you and I were talking about my episode. And according to her, I wasn’t showing her I cared enough. They exchanged numbers, and in a few hours, he gave her something she needed—attention. They’ve been texting continuously since I left work.”

“That’s bullshit! She can’t seriously believe that. She was probably trying to get under your skin.”

“It doesn’t matter because I’m done. I can’t be with someone who plays these games with me. Especially after all this time together.”

“Girl, it’s obvious you’re upset. But you should cool off before making any decisions. I’m not saying what she did was right, but you said it yourself. You’ve been with her a long time. Maybe let’s take this afternoon to drink some good stuff and not this horse piss.” He waved toward the undrunk Corona Fog before ordering two glasses of Chartogne.

At thirty dollars a glass, I’d be picking up the tab tonight. Oh well. I needed alcohol therapy. When we got our fancy champagne glasses, we cheersed.

“Thanks for coming, Ty. I do need to take a breather before saying something I don’t mean. I honestly want to hang out with you and forget about this drama.”

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