Page 12 of Betting on You

Bec: Do you want to go to Kyle’s after this? Apparently he’s having people over.

I didn’t know how to respond to that.

Did I want to go to Kyle’s?

Yes and alsofuck no.

Kyle was cool and his house was always a good time; on a normal night I’d be all about it. But after the promposal, I kind of wanted to be alone with Bec. It felt like somethingbighad happened with us, and I wasn’t ready to move on from it.

Fuck. It was embarrassing, how sappy she made me.

It still felt like a trap, like our “us” was going to eventually implode, but God help me, I was happy enough with her to consider the possibility that I might’ve been wrong.

Perhaps all relationshipsweren’tdoomed to fail.

I grabbed the popcorn and headed for the theater, wondering what Hall Monitor would think aboutthatlittle gem of a thought. She’d raise that stubborn chin and feel like she’d won some sort of point, which would absolutely make me say something about her weird boots just to piss her off.

The boots were actually hot, but I’d rather die than say that to her.

But it didn’t matter.

No way was I ever going to see that girl again.

CHAPTER SIXPRESENT DAYBailey

“This is seriously unhealthy.”

“I know,” I said to Nekesa, swishing my straw in my Frappuccino and staring at the Starbucks entrance from our vantage point in the back of the coffee shop. “But I just have to see.”

I wasn’t sure why, but I needed to know.

Zack, my ex, used to pick me up every Saturday morning because he said he liked sharing a coffee with me before the day got started. Every single Saturday, no matter what, he whisked me away for Frappuccino and conversation.

It was kind of our thing. Smiles and caffeine in the early morning light.

Just us.

So now that he and Kelsie Kirchner were “official,” I wondered if he did the same for her. Deep down, I knew the answer was no, because I trulydidbelieve it was exclusive to us as a couple, but something inside me just couldn’t let it go.

Which was why Nekesa and I were camped out at the back table at Starbucks.

“I get it,” Nekesa said, but I knew she didn’t. She was in a perfect relationship with the perfect guy—how could she possibly understand the compulsion to see if one’s ex was déjà-vu-ing with their new girlfriend? “But it’s been a couple months, Bay. And you’re too good for him. Don’t you think you should stop dwelling on what Zack is doing?”

“I’m not dwelling on what he’s doing,” I explained, even though I knew she was probably right. “I’m just curious.”

“I should’ve gotten a sandwich.” Nekesa sighed and said, “I’m starving. Why didn’t I get a sandwich? They have a glass case full of food, and all I got was a tall Flat White. What the hell was I thinking?”

“I don’t know,” I said, opening Instagram on my phone. I’d posted a new edit last night, so naturally I had to check notifications every five minutes.

“I should go get—”

“No,” I interrupted, setting down my phone and grabbing her arm in a panicked whisper. “If he comes in, I don’t want him to see us.”

“Why? It’s not that weird that we’d be at Starbucks,” she said, rolling her eyes and shaking off my hand. “Millions of people go to Starbucks, Bay. Ordering a breakfast sandwich is not remotely suspicious.”

“But it is when you’re my best friend and this isourStarbucks.”

“This isourStarbucks?” she asked, her dark eyebrows scrunching together. God, she had the best eyebrows.

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