Page 114 of Butter My Biscuit

“Take another one. I got a whole other dozen.”

He does.

“Congrats again,” he says, ripping into the warm dough like a savage.

I give him a wave and continue to the barn, thankful the rumors stopped spreading around town once I was engaged. Even Sadie, the owner at the bakery, didn’t mention Grace once. I guess everyone finally knows. And it’s a fucking relief because I was growing exhausted by it all.

When I think about Stephanie, I know I could spend forever with her. And a small part of me wonders if this was the way it was always supposed to be. That in some fucked-up way, Grace and I had to happen to bring me to Stephanie.

Or am I making the biggest mistake of my life?

I guess we’ll see.

25

GRACE

TWO WEEKS LATER

Ihaven’t talked to Harrison since we returned from Hawaii, but I know he proposed to Stephanie a week ago, thanks to her post on social media.

The whole town knows too. It’s all anyone has been talking about, giving me congratulations like it’s my wedding. But I think I’ve perfected smiling and telling everyone this is the happiest time of my life. I mean, whywouldn’tI be excited to watch my best friend in the whole world marry the love of his life?

I hope everyone is buying it because if not, the rumors are going to keep flooding. Especially after I returned from Hawaii with a fucking hickey on my neck.

The truth is, I’m a mess. I’ve lost ten pounds because I have zero appetite. Nothing can comfort me, not even my favorite peppermint ice cream. But I’m surviving because that’s what you do. I’m currently in the process of building a bridge and getting over it.

After I make a cup of coffee, I scroll through social media, and the reminder pops up on my phone that my local movie theater is having a throwback matinee of13 Going on 30. When I saw the announcement in the summer, I added the date to my phone. It’s insane how much can change in such a short amount of time. Not sure I even know the person I used to be at this point.Less jaded. Less angry.Who would’ve thought that was possible?

I grab my keys and leave. The new me is learning how to do things alone even if it’s something I’m not used to.

Tourists are out and about, window-shopping, and I often wonder what it would be like to leave Valentine. To live in a town where no one knows anything about me or my best friend or my divorced parents. There aren’t rumors about me, and people aren’t waiting to get a snippet of information that I can’t share. It might be a way for me to have a fresh start. Focus on my business. Myself. The thought makes me happy.

Once I arrive at the cinema, I slide three dollars under the glass partition, and I’m given a ticket. The inside smells like popcorn and old carpet, and coming here triggers memories from my childhood. Nothing has changed, not even the game room that’s full of kids in the summer, or the stains on the floor in front of the concessions from people spilling their drinks.

“Just one?” The attendant blocks the entrance to the theater.

I hand over my solo ticket. She glances at my neck, and even though I put a ton of makeup on that damn hickey and it’s been two weeks, it’s still there, like the Kiss of Death. No man hasevermarked or taken me like Harrison did that night. No man ever will again.

“Just me.” I give an awkward smile.

The paper is torn in half, and I walk down the aisle to an empty theater.

It’s just me.

I find my favorite seat on row H and laugh because Harrison prefers G. Even if it’s stupid, I’m perfectly in the middle with the best view in the house. I lean my chair back and play on my phone while I wait for the previews to start.

Though I’ve tried to avoid social media, I open it because I’m a glutton for punishment. And as predicted, my feed is full of pictures of Harrison and Stephanie. Mutuals are sharing posts of her showing the ring.

Gotta give it to them though. They look happy and perfect together. There is no denying that.

When the iconic Columbia Pictures logo flashes across the screen and the music plays, I turn off my phone.

The theme song starts, and I hum along with The Go-Go’s, slowly feeling my mood change. I place my feet on the back of the seat in front of me, like I used to do when I was a teenager.

Since I have every line memorized, I mumble them out loud, not missing a single one because I have the whole place to myself. The only thing that stops me is the sound of the door opening and closing. Then, seconds later, I see someone in my peripheral vision. When they make their way down my aisle, I turn and look at Harrison.

Then, he sits right next to me in his usual seat.

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