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Her head came up, and I watched as the same devastation hit her face like it had Ben, and she actually took a step back. The man at her back in the suit put his hand on her arm.

I turned back to Ben, and the breath stalled in my chest.

Oh wow.

There it was.

The look I’d been waiting my whole life for somebody to give me. That gutted, helpless, I-would-walk-through-fire just to be with you look.

And I was watching it go over my shoulder to a woman who wasn’t me.

Ben pushed his chair back. “Excuse me,” he said, not even looking at me. “I’m just gonna…”

Sitting there for a moment, I shrugged, then tucked into my fajitas, which were superb. Extra peppers, drizzled in queso, chicken perfectly charred. It was chef’s kiss. Rosa knew what she was doing.

Did I care that I was eating alone while my date held his ex’s hand at the bar?

A little bit.

But honestly? It wasn’t surprising, either.

I’d been the runner-up in everybody’s life since the day I was born.

Second to the club with my dad.

Second to the club with my brothers.

Second to whatever shit was going down that I wasn’t allowed to know about.

It was nothing new.

Granted, I’d never been bumped for an ex-girlfriend while out on a first date.

So that was something.

Go me.

As I shoved another chip with hot sauce into my mouth, my phone vibrated across the table.

Ian: How’s the date going?

I snorted and picked up my phone.

Me: Abort! Abort!

The dots popped up immediately, then a row of laughing emojis appeared, followed by even more laughing emojis until, finally:

Ian: (Big eyed emoji) WHAT DID HE DO?

I glanced over my shoulder at the bar, then looked back down at my screen.

Me: He’s been at the bar with his ex for over twenty minutes, and I’ve finished my meal. Would it be rude to leave?

Ian: Are they getting back together??

I snorted again. Of course, that’s what my best friend wanted to know. For all his bluster about how love was for idiots, he was a hopeless romantic at heart, so I looked again.

Ben and Paige were standing at the end of the bar. She was talking with her hands, he was nodding, and every few seconds one of them would look away and then look right back.