Page 50 of Set on You

“I take it that was the ex?”

I nod, mindlessly running my fingers over the random kitchen accessories in the checkout aisle. “Yeah.”

“No offense, but he’s a prick. You have no idea how much I wanted to deck him in the face.” Scott keeps his stony stare on the line in front of us.

His protectiveness fills me with comfort. I inch closer to him, our shoulders touching. “He does have a very punchable face. But what made you want to deck him?”

“Because he’s the reason I have to wait months to date you. And I hate the way he looked at you.”

“How did he look at me?”

“Like he owned you or something. Like you were a toy someone else was playing with.” He steps closer. So close, his breath grazes my hair. “You’re worth so much more than that, Crystal.” Somehow, he’s managed to pinpoint my exact feelings when I’m near Neil. Worthless. It’s not like he’s maliciously trying to make me feel that way, but after being his second choice for so long, I’ve almost gotten used to it.

I bow my head. “Thank you. It was really weird seeing him with her... she’s the one he left me for. The woman he dated before me.”

Scott’s jaw tenses. “That’s really shitty. I know that must be hard on you.”

“Yeah. Though I should have expected it. Even while we were together, I always felt like he wasn’t fully over her. He’d always find weird ways to bring her up. One time, literally fifteen minutes after we slept together, I caught him creeping on her Insta.”

He cringes. “Ouch...”

“The worst part is, I’m not a naive person. At least, I didn’t think I was. And yet, I believed everything he told me for so long. It really messed with me.”

“I completely get it. It’s hard when someone turns out to be exactly who you hoped they weren’t.”

“Have you ever had a bad relationship?” I ask, growing acutelyaware that this conversation probably isn’t the most suitable for an IKEA checkout line. But then again, no one around us seems to be paying any attention. The woman in front of us has her nose buried in her phone, while the couple behind us are strangely captivated by ice cube trays.

He nods, swallowing a lump in his throat. “Yeah. My last girlfriend.”

I suck in a breath. I’ve never asked him about what happened with Diana, mostly because he’s never brought her up. “What happened?”

“We met last year. She was a figure skater. Things were really good in the first month, until she got offered a job touring with Disney. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to take it, since our relationship was so new. But I encouraged her. Didn’t want her to give up her dream for me. I thought long distance would be a breeze, but we didn’t talk a lot while she was gone on tour, especially not in the last few months. And it didn’t help I was always working and picking up extra shifts. We ended up fighting all the time because of the distance.” He pauses, grimacing. “Anyway, we finally broke up after she visited for the weekend. I stupidly assumed things would go back to normal if we saw each other. But they didn’t. And she admitted she’d started catching feelings for a guy she skates with. Cliché, huh?”

Definitely cliché. I frown. “I’m sorry. Did anything actually happen between them?”

His eyes shift to his feet momentarily. “She said nothing happened. But I don’t know if I believe that.”

“Do you think it’ll take you a long time to trust again?”

“No.”

“Really? Doesn’t it still hurt? That she had feelings for someone else?”

His eyes hover over mine. “Of course it does. But just because one person broke my trust doesn’t mean everyone is going to, you know?”

We stay silent the duration of the trip back to my apartment. Scott seems to be in his feelings after our conversation about Diana. I’m riddled with guilt for ruining his cheery mood.

I’m also disappointed in myself. Sometime after nearly cuddling on the mattress and riding the IKEA cart like a child, I nearly broke the pact I made to myself. I was tempted to give in, kiss Scott, and let myself be his rebound, and vice versa.

But after seeing Neil and Cammie shopping for furniture together, practically on their way down the aisle, I’m reminded of the fact that I was nothing to him but temporary reprieve from the pain. A palate cleanser. A way to get off. Someone to reinforce the fact that he still loved another woman.

If I want to be a role model to my followers and practice what I preach in my Size Positive campaign, I need to know my worth. Being Rebound Girl once again is simply not an option.

chapter seventeen

I DON’T KNOW HOWyou have so much willpower. I’d have broken that three-month rule and jumped his bones already.” Mel huffs, out of breath from forty-five of fifty ball slams I’ve mercilessly assigned.

“It’s under two months now, if we go by the date he actually broke up with his ex,” I explain. “And it’s not a hard, set rule. I just figure it’s a healthy amount of time in between relationships.”

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