Page 61 of Lose You to Find Me

“Duh. I know that, but I am anyway. So say ‘thank you, Skylar,’ and move out of my way so I can pay for this.”

Sighing at her theatrics, I murmur a grateful yet dry, “Thank you, Skylar.”

Raine peeks up at me through her lashes before quickly glancing back down again to tear off the receipt being printed for the bubbly blond who’s getting far too much enjoyment out of the tension between me and my ex.

“Here you go,” Raine says. There’s a pause before she heaves a sigh, picks her head up, and looks at me. “I’ve got a few minutes to talk. Lena can get this stuff ready.”

Raine guides us to a table in the back that’s relatively private and sits in the chair farthest from the other. I try not reading into that as I take the other seat and watch her fiddle with a straw wrapper that was left on the table.

“How are you feeling?” I ask.

She shifts uncomfortably. “Still not pregnant, by you or anybody, in case that’s what you’re getting at.” The coolness of her tone is well deserved on my end.

“That was a fucked-up thing I said,” I murmur, knowing there’s little I can say to make up for it. “I truly am sorry.”

Her lips press together, but she doesn’t say anything right away. Instead, her eyes scan the bakery and all the people chatting at their own tables. They laugh, smile, and look like they’re having a good time. Then there’s us.

Eventually, she says, “I’m tired. That’s how I’m feeling. Because somebody got me a puppy that needs to be house-trained.”

I’m grateful Emma gave her one after what I put her through. “What did you name him?”

Raine slowly moves her focus back to me, watching me for a moment or two. “Sigmund Freud. I definitely disappointed the girls. Olive was dead set on Darth Vader, and Skylar thought Brody would be cute for him after Brody Jenner. I guess she and DJ have been binge-watchingThe Hills.”

My lips twitch. “I like it. It’s very…you.”

It’s a foreign statement considering there have been moments over the past few months that make me wonder how well I really know her.

“What are you doing here, Caleb? Didn’t we say what we needed to at the hospital?” Her question isn’t unwarranted, and it’s filled with caution.

But I’m not letting her get out of this. “I’d say there’s a lot left unsaid between us.”

She closes her eyes for a second before shaking her head. She clearly hears the shortness in her tone too. “We’ve both made poor decisions, especially when it comes to each other. I’m trying to figure things out.”

Have we though? “And where do I fit in with that? It’s not just you who’s responsible for the choices we’ve made.”

She gives me a look before her eyes go elsewhere. “I don’t know why you think you’d fit anywhere at this point. If you’re here because you feel bad, then you don’t need to. What’s done is done.”

I lean forward. “I don’t buy that. You just want me to drop it, but there’s a reason why we keep coming back to each other.”

“It’s because of our history. Please don’t read into it.”

Too late.“It’s true that I feel bad,” I admit. “It was wrong for me to involve myself with Emma and you at the same time. You two didn’t deserve that.”

When she nods, I know she must agree even though she doesn’t say so.

“Let me make it up to you,” I offer. “I bought those fish sticks you love so much. Come over to my apartment tonight so we can talk.”

Raine crosses her arms on the edge of the table. “You got my favorite fish sticks?”

I nod.

“But you hate them.”

“Well,youdon’t,” I counter easily.

We stare at each other in silence.

I’m the one who decides to break it when I notice Elena passing Skylar the drinks and a bag of our pastries. “I’ll help you with your project,” I say, hoping schoolwork could be common ground for us. We always studied together in the past. It could be a good way to spend time together now.

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