Page 12 of Save the Date

Emma flung open the surprisingly light door and headed toward the man who she hoped would be her salvation. Even if it took him hours to return a simple text.

“Emma!” Tony embraced her in a bear hug. She tried to feel if his heart was pounding as fast as hers was, but it was impossible to tell through his well-made flannel. “You remember everyone.”

Emma looked at the surrounding faces. A few formerly mutual friends stood out from their time as a couple, but at least two of the five were complete strangers. “Sure! Hi, I’m the ex-girlfriend. Approximately one of six hundred.”

Everyone laughed the right amount at her gentle jab. Tony’s storied dating history was the perfect low-hanging fruit for almost every awkward occasion.

“Let me get you a drink.” Tony headed for the bar and after a moment of hesitation, Emma followed him.

“It’s so nice you all still do this.” She gestured to the group, who seemed to be letting pretty loose for a weeknight. But then again, her barometer might’ve been off considering her 10:00 p.m. bedtime.

“After-work drinks are a lot more fun when you don’t actually work together. Plus, as a freelancer, it’s important for me to put in the time to make my own community.”

“Itold you that.”

“And I listened.” Tony grinned.

Emma let the spark sizzle through her before reaching for his arm. “I want to get back together,” she blurted without thinking.

Tony’s head snapped back from looking for a bartender, his expression one of shock. Not ideal but workable. At least it was out in the world now, before some sort of natural disaster could thwart her.

“And I don’t just want us to date and break up and date and break up. I want us to give it a real go.”

Tony stayed quiet but Emma figured that was better than active protest. She plowed forward, boldly ignoring everything she had been taught about social cues. No one ever became president without making at least a few people uncomfortable after all. “This is going to sound a bit bananas so bear with me, but I actually still have my wedding venue booked for this summer and—”

“I have a girlfriend.”

“What?”

“I have a, you know, a girlfriend.” Tony looked over at the group, where one of the unfamiliar faces, a tall blonde, was glaring at them. He waved. She raised her eyebrows as if she knew exactly what they were talking about.

Tony’s confession, paired with his girlfriend’s incredible body and frizz-free hair, felt like a punch in the face. Pretty soon Emma was going to get used to men ripping the rug out from under her and shattering her world. It had already happened twice in one month, which seemed excessive.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It didn’t come up. And it’s not that serious.”

“How long have you been together?”

Tony’s face looked strained as he tried to recall a number that was most certainly on the top of the tall blonde’s mind. “I dunno. Eight, maybe ten months.”

“You’re unbelievable.” Emma knew she should leave but she was too riled up to stew in her car alone. Her latent fear that Tony brought out the worst in her was being confirmed in real time, but she would have to unpack that later. Right now, she wanted a fight and hoped he would at least do her the honor of having one.

“What was I supposed to do? You texted me out of the blue to catch up and then tell me your engagement fell apart andI’m supposed to start talking about how great Naomi is? That’s not nice.”

“So she didn’t mind we hung out alone in your apartment the other day?”

“I didn’t mention it. I’m allowed to have friends. You’re my friend.”

Suddenly everything clicked. The whole time Emma had been with Tony he put other people’s needs above her own. Emma’s love for him had been a given so he didn’t need to tend to it. Instead, he spent his energy on pleasing every other female in sight. Now Emma was the random woman he was prioritizing over his girlfriend, and her presence was causing his new partner pain. It made her feel unbearably icky.

“I think I should go.” Emma waited for him to protest. Part of her still thought the connection they had was stronger than all his bullshit, that in the end he would see she was worth taking a leap for. She wasn’t just another ex-girlfriend in a sea of ex-girlfriends; she was his and he was hers and all the bullshit she’d been through would be worth it when they ended up together. Her broken engagement would be a blessing, not a curse, because it led her back to Tony. The one she never got over. The one who never got over her.

“Okay. Get home safe,” Tony said simply. His world seemed only mildly shaken while hers had collapsed.

Emma turned and walked out as Naomi watched her with relief. Not for the first time, Emma wondered why she was so easy to let go.

Six

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