Every instinct I have is screaming at me to say no. To get in my Jeep and drive away and text Juliette immediately to tell her what just happened.
But Sienna’s standing there looking hopeful and I glance back at the facility to see Anderson still watching us. If I make a scene, if I tell her to leave, it’s going to be a whole thing. Everyone will ask questions.
And it’s just coffee. Fifteen minutes. Then she’ll leave and I’ll never have to see her again. I’ll tell Juliette about it tonight at dinner and we’ll laugh about how awkward it was and everything will be fine.
“Fine. Fifteen minutes.”
Her smile widens and I immediately regret agreeing. “Perfect! I’ll drive. My car’s over here.”
“I’ll follow you.”
“Don’t you trust me?”
No. “I just need my car after.”
She pouts but doesn’t argue. “Okay. See you there!”
I get in my Jeep and sit there for a second, hands on the steering wheel, staring at my phone sitting in the cupholder. Already knowing this is a mistake.
I should text Juliette right now. Should tell her what’s happening. Should be completely transparent because that’s what you do when you’re in a real relationship with someone you actually care about.
Instead I pull out of the parking lot and follow Sienna’s cartoward the Starbucks, telling myself it’s fine. It’s just coffee. Fifteen minutes. What’s the worst that could happen?
The Starbucks is packedwith people hunched over laptops and students with textbooks spread across tables. We grab a spot in the corner and Sienna orders some complicated drink with extra pumps of this and oat milk and caramel drizzle while I get black coffee I don’t want and won’t drink.
“So I’ve been in Portland for the last six months,” she’s saying before we’ve even sat down. “New job, new apartment, totally fresh start. It’s been really good for me.”
“That’s great.”
“But I realized I never got closure with you. With us.” She leans forward, elbows on the table. “The way things ended was so abrupt and I just, I wanted to clear the air, you know?”
“Sienna, we talked about this. Multiple times.”
“I know, but I was emotional then. I couldn’t really hear what you were saying.” She reaches across the table and touches my hand. “Now I can. Now I understand.”
I pull my hand back fast and wrap it around my coffee cup instead. “There’s nothing to understand. It just wasn’t working.”
“But it could work now.” Her eyes are bright, intense in a way that makes me want to leave. “We’re both different people. More mature. And you seem happy. Really happy.” She pauses and I know what’s coming. “Are you seeing someone?”
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Probably Juliette texting about dinner or asking how my workout went or sending me some random thing that made her think of me.
“That’s none of your business.”
“So there is someone.” She sits back, arms crossed. “Wow. Okay. That’s, I’m happy for you, I guess.”
The way she says it makes it painfully clear she’s not happy at all.
“Sienna—”
“No, really. I am. I just thought—” She pauses and her voice drops. “I thought maybe we could try again. Now that I’m back in Seattle. Now that we’re both in better places.”
“I’m with someone.”
“But are you serious about her? Or is it just casual?”
“It’s serious.”
“How serious? Because when we broke up you told me you weren’t ready for anything serious.”
