Page 40 of Dance with Me on New Year's Eve

SawyerRox4:I don’t think so. At least not now.

CastGamer55:OK.

SawyerRox4:But I guess I can tell you … I dated a guy named Andrew. In college, years ago. He was not a great guy, we’ll just say.

CastGamer55:Did he hurt you?

SawyerRox4:Not like physically. Mainly my pride. Gaslighting, probably cheating, you know

CastGamer55:He sounds terrible.

SawyerRox4:Yes. I mean, he seemed nice from the start. And I’d never had a boyfriend before, so I was probably overlooking a lot.

The moment I hit Send, I cringed. Why had I told him that? My scarce romantic history wasn’t something I told people about. Other than Julia.

CastGamer55:Ah, I see.

SawyerRox4:I suspected he’d been cheating because I’d often hear girls in the background when he went out of town for games. He was a baseball player. I mean, it’s normal for college athletes to party a lot so at first I thought it didn’t mean anything. But then every time I offered to travel to his away games, he had some excuse that I shouldn’t come.

SawyerRox4:My friend was dating his friend, and when she realized her boyfriend was cheating, I started suspecting Andrew even more.

CastGamer55:And he was indeed cheating?

SawyerRox4:I never found out. When I started asking questions, he tried to turn things around and blamemefor this lack of trust. I tried to defend myself (which I don’t often do, actually, but I was feeling kind of brave that year of college), but he shut it down by sayingsome really cruel things about my family :(

CastGamer55:He insulted your family?

SawyerRox4:No, he criticized the way I grieved my grandpa.

CastGamer55:WHAT?

SawyerRox4:My grandpa had died a few months before. He was my best friend, so of course I grieved. Just too quietly, I guess…

CastGamer55:I’m so sorry, Mindy. That must have been devastating.

SawyerRox4:It was. I never got a chance to ask Andrew if he was cheating because he ended it then and there.

CastGamer55:Well, he didn’t deserve you.

SawyerRox4:*blush*Thanks, that’s sweet

My eyes bulged as I reread what I’d just typed. Did I sound like I was flirting? Was he going to think …

I bit my lip.No. I’m just a little tipsy. Right?

SawyerRox4:Um, anyway, there’s my boring college love story. What’s new with you, Danny?

CastGamer55:Your story wasn’t boring. You can keep talking about it, if you’d like.

SawyerRox4:Oh, no, that’s OK. I don’t want to waste any more time thinking about that jerk. I’d prefer to never think about him or see him ever again.

CastGamer55:Understandable.

SawyerRox4:So how’ve you been? I feel like you should share something really personal since I just did.

CastGamer55:Oh?

SawyerRox4:I mean, you don’t have to. Sorry, silly idea.

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