Page 6 of Texts From My Exes
Do not kiss your best friend.
And never, ever, marry your best friend, because what happens when the façade slips and you’re left with nothing. What if, you’re wrong? I glance at him, remembering my silent rules and wonder if he even knows if they exist? Probably not, he’d have already given me the spreadsheet with them if he did.
“See?” I teased. “Youcanbe a gentleman.” I used the banter as armor, as a reminder of that line in the sand; best friend only.
He pushed his green glasses higher on his nose. “Last time I did that, the girl thought I was mugging her and maced me in the face.”
I frowned. “Was she… a stranger?”
He shook his head. “Grandma Blue, first time I met her. Remember? Oh wait, you don’t because you left early and abandoned me at the mall with her. National treasure, that woman. Tell her I say ‘hi.’”
I laugh out loud as we head to the car, still wrapped in his jacket like it’s some kind of protection spell. Ezra is a walking contradiction. He drives a blacked-out Corvette, quotes Sorkin scripts, and basically makes love to Microsoft Word. Life’s weird.
“You working tomorrow?” I asked as we cross the lot.
“Yeah,” he said, opening my door. “Helping develop an app that tells you what to eat. Also known as:the human brain.Should be super fun.”
I slid into the seat with a grin. “At least it pays well enough for you to live your best grandpa-core life. Rebuilding vintage PCs, collecting old processors, playing Oregon Trail until you die of dysentery…”
He shut the door and gets in on his side.
The engine roared to life. Ezra peeled out like Vin Diesel, which would be cooler if I didn’t know he once sprained his wrist trying to high-five someone after pickleball.
“At least I manage to stay alive on Oregon Trail,” he mutters. “And hey, you’re right—I shouldn’t complain. Tech money gives me flexibility. And time to help idiots do reality dating content for TikTok.”
I rolled my eyes. “I am your favorite idiot.”
Another snort. “The big practice date’s tomorrow, remember. I’ll come over early to film, get everything set up, make surethe guys sign NDAs, and handle the legal stuff you’d ignore if I wasn’t here.”
“That’s why I have you,” I said quietly. “I need you, Ezra.”
His hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
For one heartbeat too long, he didn’t respond. His jaw ticked while his eyes focused on the road.
“Don’t ever forget it,” he finally said. “Though I draw the line at a mother-in-law suite above the garage when you finally get married.”
I smiled. “Please. You’d go in the pool house.”
“I’m allergic to chlorine.”
“Okay, fine. A smart home shed in the backyard with fiber internet, nerf guns, and virtual reality. You can raise your sad little spreadsheet family in peace.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Make it soundproof and we’ve got a deal.”
And just like that, the tension left. But fragments of it lingered too, soft and heavy in the space between us.
I leaned my head against the window and stared out into the dark, heart thudding quietly under Ezra’s jacket.
Tomorrow, I started dating my past, theDatelinewhiteboard would come to life.
But tonight, I was wrapped in the one person I trusted not to ruin me.
CHAPTER
FOUR
EZRA
