Page 123 of My Rules

I walk in through the restaurant and see them sitting at a table by the window. Blake is talking to his date, and Gregory looks up and sees me. He stands and smiles.

Oh, he’s cute. This is a pleasant surprise.

“Hello.” I smile. “I’m Rebecca.” I hold out my hand to shake his, and he leans in and kisses me on the cheek.

“I’m Gregory. Nice to meet you.”

Blake glances up. “Hi, Rebecca.” He smiles. “This is Kayla.”

“Hello.” I smile awkwardly as I sit down.

“Hello, so nice to meet you,” she replies. My eyes linger on her for a moment.

Oh no.

Kayla is pretty and attractive, with the girl-next-door vibe. Nothing like the supermodels that Blake normally dates.

Great.

This is it. She’s the one.

They’ve been friends for years, and he said he’s always liked her. Oh my god, how did I get myself into this situation? I feel myself begin to sweat.

Gregory moves around so that he’s closer to me. “I was worried you were going to bail on me.”

Me too.

“No, no, I’m here.” I smile awkwardly. My eyes roam over to Blake and Kayla. They’ve gone back to their conversation, and Blake is totally immersed in whatever she’s saying. He’s hardly noticed that I’ve arrived.

“What would you like to drink?” Gregory asks.

I open the drink menu and look over the choices. “What are you guys having?”

“Hmm, not sure yet,” Kayla says as she opens her drink menu.

Gregory calls over the waiter and gestures for me to go first. “What can I get you?” the waiter asks.

I feel like the awkwardness of tonight is going to make it where if I drink something that I like, I could get way too tipsy, and fast. No, stick to a drink that you don’t like.

Safer that way.

“I’ll have a glass of white wine, thank you.” I smile.

“And you, sir?” he asks Gregory.

“I’ll have a scotch on the rocks, please.” The waiter writes down our orders and turns his attention to Blake and Kayla.

“Really?” Kayla smiles all excitedly. “Oh my god,” she whispers.

“I know, I couldn’t believe it either.” Blake laughs.

What couldn’t you believe?

“I can’t wait to tell you all about it,” he says. “It’s a funny story.”

My stomach twists in jealousy. I hate that he has another girl friend. Here I was thinking that what we had was special. Now he can’t wait to tell her all about it, and I don’t even know what it is.

“What can I get you, ma’am?” the waiter asks.

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