Page 87 of Here We Go Again

His eyes drop to his hand, and he flexes his fingers a few times. “It feels wrong to feel grateful for an injury, but I’m not sure we’d be here without it.”

“Eventually, maybe,” I say. “Seeing as how our mothers are best friends now.”

“True. Especially considering their willingness to meddle.” His expression turns sheepish. “Not that I’m complaining.” He glances down at my empty plate. “Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Clearly. I mean, this place is no Reba’s. But it was still delicious.”

Last night after pickleball, the four of us went back to Reba’s for dinner. It was fun to see Reba and Kim catch up, and the papaya paradise was just as delicious the second time. But it’s hard to beat the atmosphere of the restaurant where we are now. The dress, the music, the sunset over the water. This is the most grown-up date I’ve been on in a while.

After dessert, I excuse myself for a quick bathroom break. While I’m there, I check my phone and find a series of texts from Mia.

Mia

Hey. I don’t want to spoil your fun. Hopefully by now you and Theo are making out all over the beach, but I also don’t want to NOT tell you and then have you be mad when you get home. So just FYI: Aaron and I didn’t work out. I’m totally fine, and we don’t need to talk about it.

I mean, we DO need to talk about it. But not yet! I’m okay for now, thoroughly stocked for a weekend of comfort eating and movie binging, and will give you a full debrief when you get home.

I hope you’re having an AMAZING time. Also I love your face. And I miss you.

Also if you really ARE making out all over the beach you’d better tell me

My heart hurts at the thought of Mia weathering a breakup on her own. Or … a sort of breakup? I don’t think she and Aaron ever made things official. Either way, I’m sad I’m not there to support her.

I type out a quick reply before I leave the bathroom.

Becca

Girl, I’m so sorry. Can’t wait to see you next week. I want to know every single thing about what happened.

As I head back to Theo, I can’t help but wonder what Mia will do now. I doubt she’ll want to stay in Atlanta, and I don’t love that at all. It’s a selfish thought—I want Mia to do whatever is best for Mia. But in the back of my mind, I’ve been secretly hoping she might decide to stay. Because that would make it so much easier for me to do the same thing.

My steps slow as I round the corner and cross the dining room, finally catching sight of the small table where Theo and I have been sitting.

Theo is on his feet now, and two women are standing in front of him, their smiles wide. A tall blonde in a tiny black dress reaches out and touches his forearm, laughing at something Theo says.

Hot jealousy flares in my chest, and I stop walking right in the middle of the room, heart pounding in my chest.

I watch as one of the women pulls out her phone and holds it up like she’s asking for a photo. Theo nods, positioning himself in between them as they lean in for a selfie.

I have no idea why I’m reacting so stupidly. The women are clearly fans who just happened to recognize him, which isn’t a big deal. He’s a professional athlete. There’s a possibility he’ll be recognized everywhere he goes. That’s part of his reality. And if we start dating—it will be part of my reality too.

So why do I feel like my feet are stuck in concrete?

I want to be mature enough to believe Theo’s past doesn’t matter. I have a past too—my mother was right about that. What matters now is here—the two of us.

But somewhere deep inside my heart, despite the work I’ve done to convince myself otherwise, there is still a part of me that’s afraid our breakup was my fault. Theo let me go because he knew I wasn’t what he wanted—what he needed. I wasn’t enough.

“You ready to go?”

My eyes snap to Theo, who somehow managed to get all the way over here without me noticing.

“Yeah,” I say a little too quickly. “Absolutely.”

“Sorry about that back there,” he says, tilting his head toward the table. “Just a few fans who recognized me.”

“No problem,” I say, talking way too fast, my voice half an octave higher than it usually is.

Theo eyes me, clearly sensing there’s something wrong, but since I’m power-walking out of the restaurant like leaving is a new Olympic sport, he has no choice but to keep up.