Page 59 of Just My Ex

Funny how I still feel the same.

Delusion has its benefits, doesn’t it?

Things don’t hurt as much when you delude reality.

My thoughts are interrupted by Oakley. “Okay guys. How do you feel about me using tweezers on the remaining pebbles?”

“You say pebbles so casually, like they’re as harmless as Fruity Pebbles.” Quinn laughs.

“Should I take her to the E.R? I don’t want you to have to do this.”

Quinn makes a sound like she’s overwhelmed. “If Oakley doesn’t mind, I don’t mind. I really don’t want to go to the hospital.”

“I can try. I’m not a pro at this or anything, but there are just a few that need to be removed.”

She sets to work again, and I’m glad Navie isn’t here to witness this. Thank goodness for Elianna.

“Oakley, are you okay?” Alec asks through the door. The bathroom is a one-stall type of deal.

Oakley glances at me with a look that says,I know you and my fiancé aren’t exactly best buddies right now, but I have to let him in.

“Quinn, is it okay if he comes in?” she asks.

Quinn shrugs the uninjured shoulder. “I don’t mind.”

“Come on in, Alec,” she says, bending back to her work.

He enters and we exchange a look. This has to be about more than me “missing” Oliver’s wedding, but I don’t even know where to start.

“Whoa, Quinn,” Alec says. “What happened?”

We regale him with the story, reiterating how easy it is to slip in that gravelly lakebed, which Alec fully knows.

Once Oakley is finished removing the gravel and applying a bandage, she lays a large towel across Quinn, who wraps it around herself. Alec even offers to help us with anything we might need.

“It’s us who owe you,” Quinn says. “What can we do for you?”

Oakley shrugs. “I’d like Alec to join us for family dinner soon.”

Quinn adjusts the towel. “I was thinking something more along the lines of a spa day.”

“I wouldn’t say no to pie,” Oakley says, then turns her gaze on Alec. “But I’d really love it if Alec would come eat with us, and I can’t convince him on my own.”

“You know I’ve got stuff to do, Oakley,” Alec says.

Oakley ignores him. “Quinn and Henry, this is you doing me a favor. Because I really want to eat with both my fiancé and the family. I hate having to choose. So, if you can convince Alec to come, you won’t owe me anything.”

“I’m not going to make him come if he doesn’t want to,” I say.

Alec sighs and roots in his teeth with his tongue. He glances at Oakley. “That was low, Oaks.”

Her face blanches and she swallows hard. She reaches out a hand and Alec reluctantly takes it. “You gotta start somewhere. We talked about this,” she says.

They’ve been talking about this?

I want him there. I tried to reach out regularly before I came to Longdale, with no luck. The thought of leaving without resolving our differences leaves my mouth dry.

“Alec, we’d love to have you come to dinner as soon as you’re able to,” I say, training my gaze on him before letting it drop to the floor.

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