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“So you’re getting along now?” Lana’s voice was soft.
Maybe she hadn’t realized how hard his life had been for a couple of years.
“We do. We have dinner and see each other on a regular basis. He got a job at another dealership, got off the booze and the drugs. He has a new girlfriend now, she’s in recovery and might end up being good for him.” I realized I was stroking her hair again. “We just had dinner the other day. He looked really happy when he talked about her.”
“I’m so glad,” Lana said, and she sounded completely sincere. “Todd deserves to be happy.” After a long pause, she said, “Everyone does.”
“Everyone?”
Lana chuckled. “Most people, at least.”
“Speaking of people who I don’t care are happy or not, how’s Austin these days? I know things were messy after that blow up.”
I was curious what had happened that day. I knew it couldn’t have gone well, judging by the flowers in her garbage.
She snorted. “He’s probably trying to control everything and everyone around him. Aside from that, who knows.”
“Trouble in paradise?” I teased, though I knew I was right.
“No, only because being with Austin, honestly, was never paradise.” She took a deep breath. “He broke up with me.”
“What?” I said with a laugh. “Hebroke up withyou?”
“He did.”
“Have we slipped into some kind of alternate reality where everything is the opposite of things that should happen?”
I couldn’t understand how someone like Austin, with Lana as his girlfriend, could ever willingly let that go.
“Has he lost his mind?” I asked.
“You flatter me, but thanks. Want to hear something even worse?” she asked. “He did it over text.”
I laughed and put my hand over my eyes. “Wow.”
Lana laughed softly. “That’s what I said.”
“Smooth operator, that one. I can’t imagine why he’d dump you in the first place, but not even in person?”
“Ew,” she groaned. “Dumped. That word makes it seem so much worse than ‘broke up with me.’ Dumped over text. Truly a life highlight.” She laughed, so I knew she wasn’t too broken up about it.
“Sorry. Dumpedisan ugly word, isn’t it? How about he made a huge mistake by not doing everything possible to keep you in his life? He fucked up at a level ten on a five-level scale? He did the stupidest thing I can imagine a grown man doing by ending things with you? Any of those better?” I asked softly.
My teasing was turning serious without me meaning to.
Lana didn’t have a boyfriend anymore. I didn’t have to try to convince her to dump Austin. I felt suddenly light.
“Those are better. Mostly not true,” she said with a laugh, “but they sound much less awful.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
I knew she would be, if she wasn’t already. Having an asshole like Austin no longer in your life could only be a positive thing.
And it was sure as hell a lot better for me.
“You know,” she said, sounding a little surprised, “I really am. When I got his message, I felt like I should cry or be upset. But I wasn’t.”
She brushed her cheek up and down against my chest, getting more comfortable.
