Page 193 of How to Lose at Love

Certainly not as good-looking as I once thought he was.

Okay, so maybe he didn’t look the same. Ha!

The very fact that he didn’t have the balls to dump me made him that much less attractive in my eyes. A wuss personality does nothing for me. Gross.

I lowered my mug and tilted my head in his direction as a greeting.

He tilted his back.

When he made his way across the room, all eyes were on him.

Us.

I pushed off the wall and ducked into the kitchen, not wanting an audience; caught sight of Drew leaning over the arm of the couch to peer over at us, nosey little bugger.

Usually it’s Drake who’s up in everyone’s business.

“What’s been going on?” he asked when he walked in, going straight to the fridge and grabbing a beer. Held one out to me, but I didn’t want it and didn’t take it.

I had tea, thanks.

“You know…” I shrugged. “The usual.”

Only he didn’t know what the usual is because he never got to know me on a personal level when we were dating. Didn’t know what food I like or that I’d rather drink tea over beer on a cold winter day.

Diego shuffled over to the counter and rested his back against it, still wearing his coat, still looking cold.

Must have walked over.

“The usual.” He took a chug of beer, then wiped his mouth. “So…Dallas Colter, eh?”

Dallas Colter, eh? That was his big way of asking what was going on and prying for information?

“Yup.” I nodded. “Dallas Colter.”

Time to rip the Band-Aid off and cut to the chase.

“So I’ve been wondering…” I let my voice trail off so I didn’t sound like I was attacking him or backing him into a corner. “Was there a reason you didn’t want to break things off with me in person?”

There.

That was diplomatic.

**pats self on back**

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Drew still gawking at me (Diego was out of his view), probably reporting my nonverbals to Dallas and Drake and anyone else who was interested in our personal affairs.

“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

It was a simple response and answered the question, but it also didn’t make sense.

“You didn’t think paying someone fifty bucks to dump me would hurt my feelings? I thought it was a practical joke at first.”

He futzed with the beer can in his hands, plucking at the metal tab.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

Apparently, he hadn’t thought about anything but himself. Breaking up with someone is never easy, but you can’t stay dating a person you are not into.

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