Page 7 of Tailored for Them

Memories of the last night we were together flooded my brain.

“I was lonely,” she told me, when I found her in bed with another woman that evening, “What did you expect from me?”

I don’t know, maybe a conversation about your feelings instead of sabotaging a year-long relationship with me? I wasn’t getting any younger, and I wanted to find my person and be settled. I wanted to have someone to have fun with during my retirement. My parents never had that, because they had to work until the day they died.

Colleen knew how lonelyIwas.

She had “won” all our mutual friends in the breakup, because they were her friends first.

They werestilltogether. All these months later, Colleen and Sarah were still obviously together. Seeing my ex and the woman she left me for made me want to disappear. I wished for a hole to open up under my chair and swallow me into the ground.

“Whoa, you good?” Taylor paused their rugby explanation and leaned toward me, making Jacqueline and Leo look at me too.

“Yeah,” I nodded, then turned and saw Colleen and Sarah lean forward to share a quick kiss. I shook my head, “No. Crap. I’m sorry.” I slammed my elbows down on the table and shielded my face with my hand. “My ex is over there.”

“Again?” Leo turned to Jacqueline, “Does this pub send out a signal to everyone’s exes?” Jacqueline shrugged at his comment. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I peeked under my hand to see what they were up to. I couldn’t look away from Colleen. She was beautiful, with natural blonde hair and a body to kill for. Legs for miles. Her makeup was always flawless and looked natural enough to fool most people. Sarah was just asstunning, wearing a jean skirt with sneakers and a crop top that showed off a belly-button ring. Her red hair was casually braided away from her heart-shaped face.

Suddenly, perhaps feeling my eyes on her, Colleen turned toward our table. I hid my face with my hand before we made eye contact, “Shit, is she looking over here?” I murmured at the table.

Taylor covertly glanced over their shoulder and checked, “The blonde? Yeah. She keeps looking over here.”

“Fuck me,” I whispered, “I should go.”

“What? No. Assert your dominance.” Leo gently pounded his fist on the table. “We were here first.”

“Were we?” Jacqueline asked him.

“I don’t know, but I feel like we were,” Leo shrugged, “Just breathe. Was it a bad breakup?”

“Terrible,” I murmured, keeping my hand locked on the side of my face, “She cheated on me with the redhead. I didn’t know they were still together.” Heat flamed my cheeks, and something was burning in my chest. I shook my head, “I don’t want her to see me shaken like this.”

“Hey,” Taylor reached out and wrapped one of their hands on my shoulder, squeezing me, “You’re okay. She sucks. You have no reason to be embarrassed. She should be the one embarrassed.” I lifted my eyes to meet theirs, seeing only sincerity in their expression. My heart started thumping in my chest from the feel of their warm hand on my shoulder, and I gave them a tentative smile in thanks.

“Shit,” Leo murmured, crouching low toward the table, “I think she’s coming over here.”

“No,” I wheezed, “No, no, no. She’s going to know.”

“Know what?” Taylor asked as a pinch formed between their dark brows.

“That I’ve been a mess ever since,” I felt my chin wobble, “That she broke a small piece of me.” The admission was embarrassing, but I didn’t regret admitting it either. I felt safe with my friends here. I wasn’t scared for them to know exactly how shitty this breakup had been.

Taylor glanced over their shoulder, “They’re definitely talking about coming over here.” Taylor glanced down at the table before looking at Jacqueline and Leo. All three of them exchanged panicked looks, trying to come up with something to help.

I had great friends.

“Just pretend you’re completely over her,” Leo murmured, his light blue eyes checking over toward the bar, “As if you didn’t even notice she was here.”

I snorted, “How?”

“Look focused on something else.” Jacqueline lifted a shoulder, “Pretend we’re talking about something intriguing.”

“Besides my cheating ex having the ovaries to come over here?” I muttered.

Taylor grinned, “I’m great with exes.”

I huffed a laugh, “What does that even mean?”

Taylor’s eyes dropped toward my lips, which parted against their own volition. As if Taylor’s attention on my lips hypnotized them, “Do you trust me?” Taylor asked, meeting my eyes again.

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