Page 92 of The Friend Situation

“Thank you. I’m truly honored you brought me here.” I reach across the table and gently brush my finger against his.

His smile reaches his eyes, and he seems comfortable and relaxed.

“But … whyme?”

“Whynot?” he asks.

“I’m not talking about the diner.”

“I’m not either. You appreciateitfor what it is and nothing more.” His gaze bores into me as he drinks more coffee. “I don’t have many regrets, but not meeting you sooner is one of them. You’d have gotten a different version of me. The version you deserve.”

“What if I wantthisversion?” I ask, challenging him. “The version of you who’s beenhumbledby love.”

His face cracks into a smile, and he chuckles.

“We can’t change the past. We can only heal and learn, which takes time and perspective. On the bright side, when you find love again, you’ll probably appreciate the little things more. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself,” I offer.

“Does it make you feel better?” he asks.

“No.” I laugh. “But one day, it will. When it’s true.”

“Thanks.” He exhales.

“I also find it adorable that you believe I’d have befriended the old Weston. I wouldn’t have. He was an overly flirty asshole who had ahugeego. Banged anything with legs. Total douche. Camera whore. Privileged and very spoiled.”

He laughs. “Seems to me that nothing has changed.”

“Not really.” I shoot him a wink. “It worked out exactly how it was supposed to. The wrong time is sometimes right. I have no regrets when it comes to us.”

“What did you say?” he asks.

“No regrets.”

He carefully lifts the sleeve of his suit jacket, revealing the watch on his wrist. It’s nothing extravagant, but it shines like a golden treasure under this light. He removes it and hands it to me.

I admire it. It’s old but well taken care of. In the middle is the iconic Calloway Diamonds symbol—a diamond shape surrounded by a triangle. It’sidenticalto the one Lexi stole from Easton. I flip it over and read the words engraved on the back.

The wrong time is sometimes right.

“Is this a magic trick?” I ask, reading the words I just spoke.

“A coincidence.” He stares at me. “Did Easton tell you?”

“No, it’s something my Mawmaw says,” I whisper, shaking my head as a chill runs up my spine. “You’d like her, but Mawmaw would give you a run for your money.”

“Guess it runs in the family?” He laughs. “My grandfatherbelieved his watches werelucky. I think it’s total bullshit, considering the awful things that have happened to me while wearing it. However, Easton firmly believes it brought him and Lexi together.”

I tilt my head at him, feeling its weight in my hand. “It was theonlyreason they met that day. Had I not witnessed it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it either. The scenario was disastrous, and her actions weren’t logical. That’s the truth. I tried to talk her out of returning to his penthouse because it was getting out of hand, but there’s no stopping her when she gets like that.” I sigh, remembering how she was fired immediately after. Easton is why Lexi and I stopped working together at the W. “Wait, does it have a love spell on it or something?” I place the cool metal back in his hand.

He bursts into genuine laughter, and I enjoy it.

“What if it does? Guess you’re destined to be mine now.” He rolls his eyes. “Touch the watch, wear the ring.”

My eyes widen. “Look, Lexi held Easton’s watch for as long as I held yours. Maybe it’s not lucky. Maybe it’s actuallycharmed?”

“If that’s the case, mine might be broken,” he says, sliding the watch back onto his wrist.

“Have any of your exes touched it?” I ask.

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