Page 28 of Keeping it Casual
Dustin stares at me for a few seconds.
“So, do you find it awkward or difficult sometimes when you have to interact with Emily in social situations?” he asks.
Shit. I’ve used my humor as a deflector shield for as long as I can remember, and very few people call me on it. I kind of like how Dustin doesn’t let me get away with it.
“Yeah, it’s sometimes awkward,” I admit. “It feels like everyone is watching us. I guess we did provide good gossip fodder when we broke up, and it’s not nice knowing everyone is discussing you behind your back.”
“I felt like that when everything turned to custard with my ex. We were the hot gossip topic in our social circle for a while.”
I’ve been itching to know more about Dustin’s ex but haven’t wanted to seem nosy. Now I’ve been given an opening, I’m bolting through it.
“How long were you guys together?”
“Five years.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “That’s a significant relationship.”
Dustin huffs out a sigh. “Yeah, it was, and it wasn’t. We only lived together for the last year, and even then, it didn’t feel like Robbie was interested in being part of our family.”
“Why did it end?”
“We had a fundamental disagreement about the importance of monogamy in our relationship. Namely, I believed our relationship should be monogamous, and he didn’t.”
I blink. “He cheated on you?”
“Yep. Multiple times. But hey, at least I found out before I did something stupid like marry the guy.”
I recognize the false upbeat tone in Dustin’s voice because it’s something I’ve injected into my voice so many times over the past two years. The attempt to put a positive spin on something that is actually really, really shit.
“Holy hell, Dustin,” I say. “That’s awful.”
No wonder he’s not looking for a new relationship. Something like that would definitely leave you battle-scarred.
“It wasn’t the best time of my life.” He stares down at the chocolate muffins. “Combine it with feeling like I dropped the ball with Lachie, and you have a perfect storm of my personal life collapsing all around me.”
Dustin looks so sad that I can’t help reaching across to put a hand on his knee. Definitely time for a change of topic.
“How’s Lachie doing with school so far? How did it go with his English essay that he was stressed about?”
Dustin blows out a breath. “He seems to be doing okay. And he got a good mark on his essay, which kind of undermined my lecture about how he shouldn’t leave things to the last minute.”
“Damn teachers giving him a good grade. You should complain,” I say with a grin.
Dustin grins back. “Yeah, that’s definitely one for disciplinary action at the teacher’s council.”
We grin at each other for a few seconds before I glance down at my sandwich, trying to ignore how my heart squeezes from being the recipient of Dustin’s smile.
It’s okay because my heart and I have had some stern chats where I’ve reminded it not to get attached to Dustin in any way other than what is fully acceptable within our friends-with-benefitsarrangement.
My idea to throw Lucy’s birthday party at my house?
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
I didn’t think through how much work goes into getting a house ready to entertain a large group of people. The last time we threw a major party for Lucy’s birthday, Em and I were still married, and the two of us worked together to get everything ready.
Even though Lucy is staying at my place, she’s actually more of a hindrance than a help with preparation. She decided she would clean the glass of the French doors, which I thought was only fair because most of the fingerprints on it are hers. But when I inspect her progress, I see that instead of using the proper glass cleaner, she’s used normal kitchen spray, which has left streaky marks all over the glass.
I bite my tongue to stop myself from saying anything. It’s her birthday party today. I don’t want to shatter the proud look on her face.
