Page 87 of Fight Or Flight

“It was really shitty, what you did to me. I never would have cheated on you.”

“I know,” she said, her dainty face a mask of remorse. “I’m so sorry, Ethan. Derek and I . . . we dated in high school, and I was heartbroken when he left. I always thought he was the one, you know? When he moved back, I was already dating you, but he told me he wanted to get back together. I was stupid enough to think he cared about me. But he’s actually a huge asshole. I guess I just didn’t see it.”

Ethan thought about Natalie’s opinion of him. “I’m told he was deplorable back then as well.”

“I know that now.” She wrung her hands in her lap. “I really wish you’d said something when you caught me.”

“I thought about it, but I didn’t think it would make a difference. It would’ve just given people more to gossip about. I wanted us both to save face. It was a solid plan until you brought him to Amy’s wedding.”

“That was mostly his idea, but I was angry with you and went along with it. I thought things were good with us.”

Ethan stared at her, eyes wide. “You thought things were good? You cheated on me.”

“But I loved you, Ethan. I just made a mistake with Derek. I thought we had something special.”

Ethan cringed, then shook his head. He hated conversations like this. But he took a deep breath and finally faced it.

“I’m sorry, Lindsay. We didn’t have something special,” he said. “We have nothing in common, and I always got the sense that you wished I was different.”

He hadn’t known how bad things were with Lindsay until he’d been with Natalie. Maybe one day, she’d find genuine love, and then she’d understand.

“You won’t find anyone who likes snakes, Ethan.”

He laughed. “I know that. But it’s not about snakes or hobbies. It’s . . . fundamental. Like acceptance and understanding. It’s hard to explain.”

Lindsay nodded. “Do you think we could try again?”

He was depressed enough about his prospects to say yes. The loneliness was tough, and it didn’t help that the girl of his dreams had fled the country like a wanted criminal. But he wasn’t about to repeat his mistakes. He needed to learn from them, move forward. No one’s perfect, but some people are so glaringly wrong for you, it’s impossible to ignore.

He slowly shook his head. “I don’t see a point, Lindsay. I’m sorry. It would just never be right.”

Lindsay sighed. “Is it because of Natalie Monroe?”

“It’s Alvarez,” he said, smiling to himself. “I guess it is about Natalie, partially, at least. But it’s more about what she made me realize. I should have told you right from the beginning that it wouldn’t work between us. I should have faced it, instead of pretending it didn’t happen under the guise of taking the high road.”

Lindsay nodded. “Can we be friends? It’s going to be impossible to avoid each other.”

He nodded, unbuckled his belt. “Sure. I’ll see you around, Lindsay.”

She tipped her head down. “Bye, Ethan.”

He stepped out of the car and closed the door. Lindsay gave a half smile and a wave, then drove off down Adam’s driveway and disappeared. He stood for a long time outside, staring at his truck. It was like the embodiment of all his stupid choices.

And you kept this truck?!

He smiled at Natalie’s words. He hated driving around in a constant reminder that his ex-girlfriend slept with another guy, but he’d patted himself on the back for making a wise decision. He was now coming to realize that sometimes wise decisions were actually incredibly stupid.

And it wasn’t just the truck. He’d avoided getting close to Natalie the whole time she was there thinking it was smart, but if he’d given his heart to her sooner, maybe she wouldn’t have left so fast.

He’d probably never know, and it was better not to dwell on his missteps. As crushing as it was that she was gone, he couldn’t do anything about it. But he could do something about the truck.

“What are you thinking?”

Ethan’s heart stopped. His hands shot up, and he turned, ready to attack. Then came eye to eye with Adam, standing close behind him, quiet as a wolf.

After a moment, his heart drummed up a beat, and he dropped his fists. “Where the hell did you come from?!”

“I followed you back here to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”

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