“Hey, Har.”Oh god, did I have to sound breathy and shy?
My ex, who I hadn’t laid eyes on in four years, cracked a hint of a smile as he bent down to brush his scruffy cheek against mine. He still had a headful of waves, but they were shorn and carefully parted. His jaw, which had always been chiseled, had become impossibly square. I’d always loved his sky-blue eyes, and of course they were more piercing than ever.
I looked like a garbage bag, and my ex looked like a comic book hero. This world was the stupidest.
“Hey, El.” Why yes, my WASP-y boyfriend had indeed Anglicized my Hebrew name. Back then, I thought it was cute. Now? I wanted to smack former me for allowing it.
“You came.” He used his sex voice on me. Four years gone, dumped and ghosted, and this man used his sex voice. It was unconscionable.
It also still worked like turning a crank.
“Well…” Jamie patted both our shoulders, “I’m going to find my bride. Happy reunion, you two.”
I watched him go, then turned back to Harris. “He wasn’t that cheerful the last time I saw him.”
Harris tucked his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I don’t think he enjoyed wedding planning, but he can’t wait to be married to Allie. Plus, you know, alcohol.”
“Ah…” I nodded more times than necessary. “That would do it. Allie’s incredibly marriable.”
Silence dawned between us. He rocked. I glanced around for an escape hatch. I wasn’t nervous, but I also wasn’t ready forthis. I had pictured myself in this moment wearing my hottest dress and highest heels, full face of makeup, and hair done, coming at Harris from a place of power. I’d also planned on channeling Vivian fromPretty Womanby flicking my manicured fingers at him and saying, “Big mistake,bigmistake,” and while his jaw dropped, I’d turn around and sashay away, giving him a view of my very fine ass.
That definitely wouldn’t work when I had to see him over the next two days, and again, I looked like a garbage bag. He was probably thinking what a great decision he’d made ditching me before I went downhill.
“How are you?” he finally asked.
“Oh,” I smoothed a hand over my hair, instantly regretting it since the move only drew attention to how disheveled I was. “I’m good. Great. I spa’d all morning, so I can’t get much better.”
He responded with a tight smile. “I’m great too. We did the whole lake thing, caught a couple fish, threw them back.” He untucked his hand, rubbing the sides of his mouth. “Your boyfriend here too?”
“He is.” I held up my plastic bag. “He’s upstairs. We both needed sustenance, so I ran down for a minute. I’m sure you’ll see him later.”
He shook his head, his expression hardening. “I won’t be going out tonight. I’ve got to pick Michelle up from the airport. She was on a work trip and…never mind.” He clapped me on the back like an old buddy. “I’ll probably see you around. It was really good to see you.” He seemed to have more to say but thought better of it and stalked toward the elevators.
Since I was headed in the same direction, I waited until he got on an elevator, then took one of my own back up to the third floor.
Alex looked up from the notebook in his lap as I entered the room. I plopped down on the chair across from him, holding up my hand, three Band-Aids wrapped around my fingers. “They didn’t have to amputate.”
His mouth quirked, but that was the only reaction I got. I threw the Snickers at him, aiming for his lap, but I’d flunked the baseball unit in PE.
Alex rubbed his forehead after the Snickers bounced off it. “What the hell?” He held up the candy, reading the label. “You’re pelting me with my favorite chocolate?”
“I wasn’t aiming for your head.” I held my palms up, giving him my best innocent face. “And it’s your favorite, so you can’t possibly be mad.”
“Okay. Thanks.” He tore open the package, carefully folding it back. “I gotta say, I’m more miffed you bolted out of here like I’d whipped out my dick or something.”
“Miffed?”
He sighed. “Asks the girl who says ‘guff.’” He took a big bite of my awkward-chocolate, staring straight at me as he chewed.
I could have danced around my reason for panicking, which was something I had a tendency to do. But here we were, alone in our hotel room after having spent hours at the spa together. He’d heard my college frenemy confess her former crush and we’d both gotten felt up by a sturdy German woman named Helga. If that wasn’t bonding, I didn’t know what was.
“I ran into Harris in the lobby,” I blurted.
I’m a fucking chicken, but we all know that by now, right?
Alex paused mid-chew, his fist tightening around his candy bar. Then he cocked his head and held his hand out, signaling for me to go on.
“And I looked like a garbage bag while he looked like he’d walked off a commercial for coffee grounds.”