Page 62 of The Love Haters

“Who cares?”

But now I was worked up. “It’s not even a good point! Lovedoesn’thappen to you while you’re busy making other plans! That’s not how love works at all. When you’re in love, you don’t want to makeother plans—you just want to make plans with the person you’re in love with. That’s the whole thing!”

“Why do you care?”

“Because he doesn’t know what love is.”

“That’s not your problem anymore.”

“But now it’s everybody’s problem! Somebody who is terrible at love decided to define it for the rest of us—and now it’s becomingtattoos.”

“Yeah, well. Everybody loves that lyric.”

“Except for John Lennon’s ghost.”

“The point is, it’s a hit. You should listen to it.”

“I will never listen to it.”

“Never is a long time.”

“Fine. I’ll listen to it on my ninetieth birthday. I’ll drink a whole bottle of champagne, listen to this song, and then throw myself off a cliff.”

“Don’t throw yourself off a cliff. ThrowLucasoff that cliff.”

“Great suggestion.”

“Anyway, it’s topping the charts. I feel you should get a royalty or something.”

“John Lennonshould get a royalty.”

Lucas and his timing. I had finally—finally!—found something I was more interested in than feeling terrible about him… and now here he was again, demanding my attention.

“What will you do if he calls you?” Beanie asked.

“I won’t answer.”

“Good. Perfect. Stay strong.”

“I don’t need strength. I have indifference.”

“That’s because you haven’t heard the song yet.”

DID I LISTENto the song?

Of course. The second I hung up with Beanie.

And was it good?

Fine. Affirmative. It was good.

Annoyingly good.

The kind of song you put on repeat and it sends you into a poetically bittersweet groove that makes you reflect on life and love and what it all means in a way that hurts just right.

I never said he wasn’t a good songwriter. Plagiarism aside.

But did the song make me waver? Did it make me wish I could turn back time and be with Lucas again?

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