Page 56 of Exes Don't

“No one except your rizz, man.” TJ shakes his head.

“I don’t need your opinion on my rizz.”

“What you need is a full-fledged intervention. That woman is still hung up on you, and you’re obviously in love with her.”

“She’s the reason for your tattoo.” TJ blows out a breath. “I mean,hello.”

“But you hardly said two words to her tonight. And no goodbye kiss.” Del plops down on the sectional. We all follow. “What gives?”

“She makes me nervous—in a good way,” I admit. “But I’m still nervous.”

“It’s time to put yourself out there, then. Go big or go home.” Poe sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. How, I’m not sure. I’ve never seen him in a serious relationship.

“Poe is right. You got to level up.” Del rubs his hands together.

“Flip the script.” TJ nods slowly.

“How am I supposed to do that?”

“Dunno, but between all of us, we can work out a solid game plan.” Del shrugs. “Just like on the field.”

Kennedy glances around. “No clue what’s going on here, but you know I’m in.”

TJ and Poe nod seriously, and I figurewhat the heck.

“I can use all the help I can get.”

“Excellent. Let’s get ready to rumble,” TJ says with a TV announcer inflection to his voice. We all lean in, and as silly as weprobably look, five football players devising a game plan for my romantic future, I can’t help but be filled with gratitude for these guys who love me enough to want to see me happy.

“Operation Help Anton Get Rose Back has commenced,” TJ says.

“That’s way too long of an operation name,” Poe argues matter-of-factly. “All the good operations have titles that roll off the tongue. Look at the World War II history books.”

“Let’s not compare my potential relationship to a world war.” I wince.

“We’ll workshop it,” Del says, bringing us back to the point. “Now here’s what I think. She brought you a gift tonight. You should return the favor.”

“I was already planning on it.” I outline my idea for them.

“That’s good, man. A good start.” TJ points at me. “After this weekend, I also think you should meet her on her turf for a change.”

“Go on.”

TJ, Poe, and Kennedy start tossing around ideas, but Del catches my eye and turns serious. “You sure you want to go all in with her again, Bates? I like Rose, but I’m not the one with my heart on the line here.”

Del is right. Can I do this again? Or maybe the better question is, how can I not?

21

The Breakup

Anton - Five Years Ago

Rose paces half a block away with her phone pressed against her ear. I’m waiting for her to end her call so we can go on our Monday night walk. It’s become a tradition of ours. We stroll through my neighborhood and circle around on the beach, talking through the highlights of the weekend’s game and anything else. Sometimes, we walk in silence too. Her presence makes me feel completely at ease in my own skin. Completely safe. What more could a man want, really?

We’ve been dating for six months now, and for the past two weeks, I’ve been talking to my mom about getting my great-grandmother’s engagement ring out of the safe in Penwick. Yep. The family ring. I mean business.

My mom is not on board. She’s holding fast to her opinion that an American cheerleader isn’t the type of woman for me. I’ll wear her down eventually. As soon as she acknowledges that I know what I want and what I want is Rose, she’ll have no choice but to give us her blessing. If she won’t, I’ll buy my own ring. But I’m trying to honor and respect the royal lineage I was born into.

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