“Did you see the look on his face? That was priceless!” Lauren beams. “I kind of wish his truck actually was being towed.”
“Me too. That was brilliant.”
“I don’t know what made me think of it. I just couldn’t stand sitting there with the two of them looking down on me anymore.”
“Well, it worked like a charm.” Meeting her gaze, I tell her, “I’m proud of you.”
Her brows pull together. “Why?”
“You could’ve sat there and taken his shit, but instead, you came up with a way out.”
“I think you’re forgetting I ran away from him.”
“But I’ve seen you cower and freeze in front of him before, and you didn’t do that.”
“Well, thank you.” She glances out her window as the smile on her face slowly fades. “Hey, Jax?”
“Yeah?”
She turns back to me. “I’m still really hungry.”
I chuckle. “I knew you would be. How about we grab some dinner? It’ll be my treat. I know it’s not the barbecue you picked for the evening, but I’ll buy you a sundae to make up for it.”
“No, not the diner! I hate the diner.” She tries to fight the smile that’s growing on her face. “You owe me two sundaes now.”
“You’re such a liar. I know you love Sweet Mae’s burgers and fries.”
She nods and we head inside, where my palm gravitates to her lower back. A couple of prying eyes laser in on us as we walk past a row of tables, but I don’t let it bother me because being this way with Lauren feels so natural.
When the waitress comes to greet us at our corner booth, Lauren looks ravenous, so I let her order and tell the waitress I’ll take the same.
“Thank you,” Lauren says. “If this food doesn’t come soon, I’m liable to eatyou.”
“I better tell the waitress to speed that order up then.” I pretend to get up from the booth, and she quickly grabs my arm, her eyes going round as she laughs in surprise.
Thankfully the diner is dead, so our food comes quickly. A natural silence falls over us while Lauren puts all herattention on the big burger in front of her, and I try to keep from putting all my attention on Lauren.
When she finishes her food, I figure it’s okay to speak again. Swiping a french fry through a puddle of ketchup, I ask, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She plucks a fry from my plate. Hers are already gone. “It’s kind of weird. I should maybe be bothered by all of this, but seeing him with another woman didn’t even hurt. If anything, I felt bad for Shelby.”
“What changed?”
“I guess I’ve started to reckon with all the pain he put me through before we even broke up, and all the ways he didn’t treat me right. I used to think maybe our relationship going down in flames like that was because of something I did wrong, but last night helped me see that wasn’t the case. The realization gave me a lot of peace.”
I lower my burger, narrowing my eyes. “Why would you blame yourself whenhe cheated on you?”
“I don’t know. That’s where my mind always goes when something is wrong.”
“It shouldn’t. Austin is just an asshole. You deserve better.” I take a sip of water.
Her cheeks flush. Turning her gaze down to her empty plate, she says, “Enough talking about me and my problems. Tell me something about you.”
I lean back. When I first moved here, there was an instant connection between Lauren and me. I felt like I could tell her anything, and she wouldn’t judge me. But it’s been over nine years since I came to town. We haven’t had a conversation without both of our walls being up in a long time. We haven’t taken the time to ask each other how we are or what’s going on in each other’s lives, which was necessary because I had to protect my heart. I’d fallen for awoman who wasn’t available. But since I wasn’t having these conversations with Lauren, I wasn’t having them with anyone. I don’t know how to do this, especially after intentionally sticking to the type of relationships that never involve connecting on more than a physical level. It feels like talking to her would be going against everything I’ve built, but then again, Lauren feels so safe.
“What do you want to know?”
“Anything. I’ve known you for so long, but I don’tknowyou.”
