Page 98 of Friends with Benefits

“I know. I hope the kids don’t take it too hard.”

“What?”

“The divorce.”

Evie’s tone is light, teasing, as if a bomb didn’t just detonate in her brain.

I love you.

You.

You.

You.

Does it even matter? If she loves him? It doesn’t resolve their opposing stances on marriage as, like, a concept. It doesn’t change the truth that Evie still wants to file for divorce the moment her IATSE application is approved. Love isn’tenough to alter the reality that they want different things out of love. She’s going to have to let him go. Revert to platonic soulmates. And it’s going to hurt. Until then?

She leans forward and kisses him.

It’s soft.

Theo pulls back. Just a few millimeters, so their noses touch. He bites his lip. Reaches for her hands and twines their fingers together. Every sound amplifies. The thud of a heartbeat, the whoosh of an exhale, the tenor of his voice. “Ev, I—”

Evie panics.

Cuts him off with her lips, terrified he’s about to utter three words that’ll change everything, as if everything hasn’t already changed.

20

His classroom is a cacophony of sound effects. Theo sits at his desk and watches Evelyn engage with his students, who are now on their best behavior after they’ve been “1985”-ed. Well. Most are. Milo flutters his eyelashes at Theo. So dramatic. Such a little shit. He shifts his eyes from his students to his monitor, where a new email is bold in his inbox. From… Caro?

Subject: Interested? FW: Curriculum Development Coordinator—Literacy—NYC DOE

Theo blinks.

His watch vibrates. A heart rate notification.

He opens the email.

Reads.

Hello Hello Mr. Cohen!

It’s been more than a minute… but I saw this listing and immediately thought of you. Is this not your DREAM job?I work in the legal department at the DOE currently, so if you’re interested I can totally put in a referral. Let me know! NY misses you.

x Caro

“Theodore?”

He minimizes the email, his eyes shifting to Evelyn standing over his desk.

Blinks. “Sorry. Hey.”

Short pieces of hair are falling out of the bun she secured with a pencil this morning.It’s giving teacher, she asserted, to which he responded,Please don’t say “it’s giving” in front of them. “These kids are terrifying.”

“I know.”

“I’m kind of obsessed with them?”

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