Page 7 of Dump and Chase

I played with the straw in my milkshake. “I wish that we’d reconnected sooner and not because your dad passed away, you know? I hate that it went on this long.”

“I feel the same way. I didn’t know what to say to you. I didn’t know how to fix things, and I wasn’t sure you even wanted to hear from me.”

“I have missed being able to talk to you.” When I looked up at him, I saw the same longing in his eyes.

“I missed you too. I think about you a lot. You were always there for me, and then you weren’t. And I know I should have been more supportive of you. I fucked up.”

The server popped in just at that moment to ask if we were finished. Ethan and I looked at each other and nodded.

“I’ll pack it up for you,” she said, then took our plates away.

We left the diner with our doggie bags, and I didn’t know what to do next. Was this when we called two Ubers and parted ways forever? Or did we try to be friends? I had no idea, and my brain was in a fog. So when Ethan grasped my hand, I startled.

“Let’s just hang out for a bit. Do we have to say goodbye now?”

I should have said goodbye at that moment, but before I could stop myself, I was saying yes.

ChapterFour

Tangi

We took a short walk, but my feet were killing me in my heels, screaming for my comfy work sneakers. So I suggested we hang out somewhere, and Ethan proposed his condo. He’d bought it after he’d signed his first contract, and I’d just assumed he sold it at some point.

“It’s a place of my own when I’m in town,” he explained as we Ubered there.” And when a friend gets traded here, it’s a place for them to stay until they get settled.”

“That’s nice of you.”

He shrugged. “I figured it was empty, so why not have someone use it. Plus, Dad did encourage me to invest in real estate.”

We reached his penthouse condo was in Downtown East, and rode up in the elevator,. It didn’t occur to either of us to go back to the funeral, despite Ethan’s phone pinging every few seconds. We were going to hang out, talk, then I’d go home. Once inside his all-too-familiar place, I kicked off my shoes while he replied to some texts. I collapsed onto his fluffy gray sofa and let out a contented sigh.

“My feet thank you for this reprieve.”

He put our food in the fridge and sat next to me.

“Thanks for coming here,” he said. “It’s nice to be away from the … sadness.”

I turned to face him, placing my hand on his. “You know, it’s okay to not keep it all inside. I know how much you loved your dad. Don’t be afraid to feel things.”

He chuckled. “You sound like a therapist.”

“I’ve done some therapy. Learned to meditate. Decided to let go of anger. It makes a huge difference.”

He leaned back on the sofa and ran his hands through his hair. “Yeah, I have to learn to do all that. This last week has drained me.”

“You don’t need to handle this alone. People care about you.”

“And I was really good at hurting you. Tang, you were too good for me.”

“Stop that. Look, we weren’t meant to make it. Shit happens.”

He squeezed my hand. “When we broke up, Dad gave me the biggest lecture. He said I was throwing away the best girl I was ever going to meet. He wasn’t wrong.”

My heart blipped again. Why was he saying this and what was I feeling? Could we get back together? And why did a big part of me want that? “Ethan I—”

“I get it. I know we aren’t getting back together. I’ve accepted that. It’s just nice being with you. I missed you so much.”

I opened my mouth to say something—I wasn’t sure what—but stopped when he leaned in closer to me. And then he kissed me gently, tentatively, to see what I’d do. I was frozen in shock, but when he leaned in again, I returned the kiss. This was wrong, but it felt amazing, and I wanted to be selfish and not let it stop.

---