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Jillian
I was nervous.
It was stupid of me to feel that way, and I knew it. I hadn’t seen or heard from my ex-boyfriend in months. We weren’t even close to being a part of each other’s lives anymore. Hell, we had never been all that serious when we were together, anyway. At least not from my perspective.
Daniel and I had been too much alike to last, it seemed. We had met through work, our paths crossing so frequently that finally we decided to give it a go. It seemed like fate. Or something like that. I had told myself that over and over again during our three-month relationship that it was fate. It was meant to be. There had to be a reason why we kept running into each other all the time.
That was how it always worked in the movies. Boy meets girl, they notice each other. Then, they just keep noticing each other, running into each other at work events, bonding over having to deal with the same annoying clients together. It seemed kind of perfect at first. We were both really, insanely busy people with hectic lives and even crazier schedules. We both flew all over the world, schmoozing and mingling with high-class people who sometimes looked at us like personal assistants rather than colleagues. Daniel was one of the first people I met who seemed to really understand the unique stress and fun of my line of work.
And besides, if we were just going to keep running smack into each other over and over again, why not make the most of it? Daniel was sweet. Humble, despite the kind of high-stakes work he was involved with. He was essentially an accountant, but the kind of accountant who only dealt with extremely wealthy accounts. He helped millionaires and billionaires balance their checkbooks, helped them sort through their various infinite lines of credit and figure out how to file their complicated taxes. He advised them on the stock market, on what kinds of investments were worth the risk and which ones would land them in bankruptcy territory. It was a lot of work. A lot of very boring, complex math.
Luckily for him, he was kind of a math whiz, and he genuinely enjoyed doing all those annoying calculations. I, on the other hand, had never been into mathematics. In college, I had worked as an editor, so I was more about writing and communications. More creative exploits. Of course, my current job didn’t have much to do with that. But I liked to think that my attention to detail and my ability to use my words to persuade people were helpful holdovers from my college days. Despite our differences, Daniel and I had clicked on some level.
I stood in front of my full-length mirror in my bedroom, looking at my outfit.
It was nine in the evening. I was wearing the same outfit I had worn earlier to my business meeting. A white blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt, paired with stylish red heels and a heavy blazer to combat the sudden cold snap Atlanta was experiencing. I frowned, wondering if this was an appropriate ensemble for a reunion with my ex. He had always liked me in red. Maybe it was too much.
I kicked off the scarlet heels and put on nude kitten heels instead.
“I guess this’ll work,” I mumbled, turning to look at the back of my skirt, making sure it wasn’t too short in the back.
I didn’t know what the hell Daniel wanted with me tonight, but I was damn sure not going to let him think I was trying to impress him. We were broken up. And we had been for months. There was nothing between us. I had no reason to impress him.
“He’s just some guy I used to make out with,” I told my reflection in the mirror. “We never even had sex the whole time we were together. He’s never seen you naked and he sure as hell isn’t going to see that tonight, either.”
I blushed, embarrassed of myse
lf for this dumb pep talk. It was stupid to assume Daniel wanted to see me for some romantic or sexual purpose. If he was trying to make this a booty call, he was going to be sorely disappointed. I wasn’t interested. Sure, when he had first broken up with me, I was upset. I might have even cried a little bit. But I was over it. And once I got over the sting of being dumped, it had become blatantly clear to me that we were never meant to be anyway. No matter how much I had tried to convince myself of that when we were together.
“You’ve got this,” I told myself, putting on my blazer.
And with that, I picked up my purse and headed downstairs in the elevator, calling a cab on my way down. I walked out and climbed into the sedan, feeling pretty confident. In a way, I kind of hoped he was trying to get me back. After the unceremonious manner in which he’d dumped me, I thought it might feel kind of nice to turn him down.
I told the cab driver to take me to a bar Danny had texted me about. A place I had forgotten all about in the months after we broke up. It was just a sports bar, unassuming and loud, full of local college kids who were there to get drunk and yell at the sports games on TV. Daniel and I were certainly not college kids anymore, but he had always liked that bar because, as he said, he was highly unlikely to run into anyone he worked with. His rich, snooty clients always preferred higher-end bars than this one.
Once I got there, I actually did feel a little nervous again. I walked into the bar and went straight to the counter to order a rum and coke. If I was going to survive this night, I had a feeling I was going to need some liquid courage. Even if I didn’t have feelings for my ex anymore, it was still bound to be a little awkward.
As I was turning away from the bartender, drink in hand, suddenly Danny was right in front of me. He was smiling, looking positively delighted to see me. He looked exactly the same as he had months ago when I last saw him. Just under six feet, with blond hair and brown eyes. He had a sweet, almost boyish face. The only thing different now was that he had glasses, which made him look like a bigger nerd than before. It suited him, though.
“Jill.” He threw his arms around me in a hug. “It’s so fantastic to see you again. You look amazing.”
“Oh, uh, thank you,” I responded awkwardly. I forced a smile. “Can I buy your drink?”
“No, no, I’ve got it.” he said, grinning from ear to ear. “There’s a table over there in the corner if you want to sit down. I’ll be there in a minute. I’m so glad you came.”
“Okay,” I said, hurrying away to the table.
I sat down and immediately began sipping my drink, wondering if I was making a big mistake being here. Danny came back and sat down across from me, his cheeks pink. I could tell he was nervous, too.
Good, I thought.
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m good. Tired. I just got back from California early this morning,” I said. “Been going all day, and I’m a little jetlagged.”
“Still busy as ever, then?”
I nodded. “Yes. You?”
