Page 65 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

It felt rare.

And that was why I held on for so long.

Both things were true for me.

I lost him.

And somewhere along the way, I lost myself in his axis too.

The galaxy above me snapped back into place—not the ones from the night at TOPS, but the artificial ones lining the ceiling of the bar. The music rushed in all at once. The weight of the present came crashing back into my chest like I had been underwater, and someone had just pulled me up so fast.

I blinked.

Andre was saying something, but I didn’t hear it.

Because across the room…

I saw him…

“Holy shit,” I said.

Ex #2.

Standing just at the edge of the crowd like he had always belonged there. Like he had been watching long enough to decide exactly when to step in.

My body went still.

He looked the same.

Of course he did!

Charismatic in a way that didn’t ask for attention. Reckless in the way he carried himself, like consequences were just suggestions. And still—ridiculously, unfairly attractive.

His eyes landed on me.

“Holy shit,” I said again.

And just like that, he started walking toward us.

He smiled. Slow. Knowing. Dangerous.

Like a devil dressed up as a good idea.

Each step unhurried.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t look away.

Every warning sign in my body lit up at once—and somehow, it didn’t matter.

Because Kyle had never felt like a mistake. He felt like a decision you made twice.

He stopped right in front of me with that grin. Oh, that grin!

“I was wondering how long it would take before I saw you again.”

Then I remembered what kind of trouble he was.