“I understood some of those words,” I said, heading for the counter and assumingthey’dknow what Kieran wanted, anyway.
While I was waiting in line, I looked back at him and caught him holding his phone up in my direction.
Taking a candid photo, I realized.
With a smile, I looked away again, pretending I hadn’t noticed, focused intently on the specials board.
My phone vibrating in my hand startled me.
Colin: new boyfriend?
My stomach dropped. He’d sent the post with Kieran, where we were almost kissing.
No question mark had ever looked so accusatory in mylife. I had to remind myself that Colin had broken up withme.
… just like Kieran would, when all this was over. That was what I’d just heard, right? That nothing ever lasted, nothing was everseriouswith him.
Which I’d known. This was a temporary arrangement—it wasn’t even arealarrangement. It didn’t matter if Kieran left me.
Yeah, actually.
Maybe it wouldn’t do Colin any harm to see me with someone new.
Drinks ordered, I headed back to the table and sat down opposite him, finally closing my laptop to give him my full attention.
Colin: he’s cute. Can I have his number when you’re done with him?
What was it with everyone wanting Kieran’s number?
No.
What did he mean, “when you’re done with him”?
Who said I was ever going to be done with him? Who said Kieran wasn’t The One, the love of my life, the man I was planning to grow old with?
The fact that everyone leaves you, my brain whispered.Kieran’s already left you once.
And that wasn’t fair—he certainly had an excuse—but it wastrue.
“You okay?” Kieran asked, brows drawn together. “Someone bothering you?”
I bit my lip. Icouldhave lied, but there was a non-zero chance that Colin would decide to try his luck with Kieran directly. Better to warn him now.
“An ex,” I said. “Colin. He, uh. Saw that Instagram post, of the two of us…”
“And now he’s bothering you about it?” Kieran raised an eyebrow, the set of his shoulders subtly shifting so that his posture saidpoint him out and I’ll deal with him.
That was nice. After all these years, Kieran was still ready to leap to my defense.
“Kind of,” I said. “It’s… complicated.”
That was a lie. It was incredibly simple.
Colin had left me because no one waseverserious about me, and now he was rubbing it in because I’d made a fool of myself in front of him.
Silence fell between us. Kieran was waiting for more, for anexplanation, but I wasn’t up to one right now.
“He doesn’t matter,” I said, pushing my laptop aside.
