Page 18 of If You Say So

“Huh?”

“How long did you date?” I open my mouth to answer him, but he cuts me off. “And how long agodidyou date?”

I clamp my lips together, scared to answer him and worried he’ll judge me for the truth.

“Around two years,” Nate answers.

“Since you dated?”

He shakes his head. “No,thatwe dated. We’ve been split up for three months, one week, and four days.”

His words sucker punch me right in the gut.

He knows the months.

He knows the weeks.

He knows thedays.

I do too.

Mateo dips his chin, his attention focused on his clasped hands sitting atop the table. I can see him working his bottom lip through his teeth as he absorbs that information.

I haven’t known him for long, but it’s been clear from the start that he’s one of those people who thinks everything through with a pro/con list, and I have feeling he’s making a mental one right this moment.

“You two live here together, yeah?”

“With our best friend Carsen. It’s his house.”

He lifts his head. “But you’re…”

“Exes?” Nate chimes in, and Mateo nods. “Yeah, makes it pretty fucking awkward.”

“I can imagine,” my guest says on a low chuckle. “How do you guys make it work?”

“I’ve gotten really good at walking on my tiptoes.” Nate sends him a wink, and Mateo’s cheeks tint with a pink blush.

It takes all I have not to roll my eyes.

Nate’s always been a flirt. Even before we got together, back when we both pretended to be straight and not into each other, he hadallthe girls swooning over him. Hell, he even had the guys swooning too—including me. I swear me being friends with him was the only reason I had a girlfriend in high school. The relationship never went anywhere—because hello, gay—but that’s beside the point. No one has ever been able to resist his charm…Mateo included.

“Give me a fucking break.”

The words slip out of my mouth, and everyone in the room freezes.

“Huh?” Mateo says, genuine confusion and innocence in his voice.

“What? What did I do wrong now?” Nate pushes.

I spin on my heel and glower at him. “You’re going to stand there and act like you’re the victim? Like you’re the once forced to tiptoe around this house? Likeyou’renot the one who caused all this awkwardness between us?”

“Awkwardness?” Mateo voices, but we ignore him, now squared off with one another.

It reminds me of that time in our senior year of high school when we fought over a girl. I was jealous Nate was into her and not me. Nate was pissed I was acting like it didn’t bother me, because I think even then he knew we would end up together.

So, much like best friends do, we duked it out until we both cried mercy and hugged it out.

Nate never spoke to the girl again, and that was how we silently agreed to not date anyone until we both figured out our shit.

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