Page 32 of Cups of You

“Amber’s. She had a boyfriend back in Chicago,” Benjamin explained.

“Oh, sorry dude. I was hoping you two could maybe kindle something.”

“Randy, sweetie, he saidhadnot has. She had a boyfriend but not anymore hence the bad breakup and overindulgence on wine.”

“Oh shit. So that means you have a chance.”

Benjamin sighed and leaned back against the couch. He felt bad hoping that he did. It had only been a day since Amber discovered Josiah’s infidelity. He didn’t have the right to offer himself up so soon as some sort of replacement.

Right?

“I don’t know about that,” Sam answered saving Benjamin from having to speak up. “How long was she dating the guy?”

Benjamin frowned as he thought back to the conversation. “A few years; three, I think.”

“That is a long time. How did she seem to feel about it?” Sam asked. “Did she talk about forgiving him?”

He shook his head. “She said she told him she wasn’t going back.”

“Wow,” Randy replied. “So, she’s going all scorched earth on the ex, huh? I don’t blame her. I don’t think I could ever come back from that.”

“I don’t blame her either,” Benjamin agreed. “I mean, I can say with certainty that I feel the same way. There’s no coming back from cheating.”

“Well, I think you should be careful here,” Sam said.

Randy and Benjamin both gave Sam a look of clear confusion. “Be careful?” Randy asked. “Why?”

“Think about it,” Sam replied. “Amber is vulnerable right now. She just broke up with a long-term partner and changed the whole trajectory of her life. I’m sure she’s probably trying to hide it, but she is probably freaking out about everything.”

Benjamin nodded. “You’re probably right.”

“And, you don’t want to come off as predatory by taking advantage of her vulnerability.”

“Or get stuck in rebound territory,” Randy added. “I don’t know much about Amber, but some people tend to bounce in and out of a rebound relationship pretty quickly. It’s fine if you’re into that, but man, you are not a rebound kind of guy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on man. You couldn’t have meaningless sex even if you wanted to. You fall hard.”

“He’s right Benji. You need to be careful and not see signs where they don’t exist.”

Benjamin crossed his arms not sure if he appreciated being analyzed. The problem was, he couldn’t find fault in anything they were saying. It was true. He was not the type to get his rocks off with just anyone.

“So, what are you guys saying? I should ignore her completely?”

“No, honey, that is not what we are saying,” Sam replied. “We’re just saying to exercise a little caution. I’m sure she could use a friend right now and you are great at making people feel welcome. But, you can’t let your feelings get involved.”

“How am I supposed to befriend her without getting my sappy feelings all over her?”

“Now you’ve offended him Sam. He’s getting snippy.”

“I’m not snippy.”

“You’re a little snippy,” Sam insisted gently. Benjamin opened his mouth to deny it again but sighed instead of fighting against the truth. She was right.

He was a bit snippy.

“But it’s okay. I know it sucks. It has been years since you really expressed interest in someone. At this point I would love for Amber to fall for you just to get the spark of old you back and she seems like the type who could bring you out of your shell.”

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