Page 107 of Three Pucking Ex's Brothers
“Chloe? Tommy’s friend, right?”
She nods.
“I didn’t recognize you with the new hair.” The last time I saw Chloe she was sporting teal hair, not blonde, and she was also dressed in a sparkly gold gown and boots. Not a dark hoodie and high-top sneakers.
“So…you and Tommy?” she asks, raising a brow, and I panic.
She nudges me. “It’s cool, secret’s safe with me,” she says with a wink.
Does she…know?
I tense.
“No judgment here.” She giggles. “Honestly, I always thought Brett was a dick, anyway.” She shrugs. “Never knew what you saw in him, but I figured it wasn’t any of my business.”
“Right.” I say.
I’m starting to think I don’t know what I saw in him either. Now that I think about it.
We met on a whim and I thought he was attractive and probably way out of my league…and then we had a couple drinks and things…happened, and then it just…evolved from there. Quickly.
I moved in barely six months into our relationship, and Brett was suddenly gone all the time. And then when he came home, things were tense. He never wanted to go out, always wanted to stay in and fuck, and sometimes I didn’t and he’d just get pissy and go in the other room. Leave me alone. I never thought much of it, at the time, but now…
Now I’m starting to wonder if I was so intent on creating the perfect future with the perfect man—one I believed to be perfect—that I completely sold myself a lie.
Because I know now that Brett is far from perfect.
And I don’t think there was ever really a future for us that didn’t end like this. In heartbreak.
“We’re just…friends,” I say, but even I don’t believe myself.
Chloe gives me a wink. “Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever you say.” She turns to watch the game.
I focus my sights on Tommy and then I feel Chloe shift her position and then she screams, “Come on, Zack!”
Zack turns and so does Tommy.
And then he sees me. His whole body shifts, his back straightening out and his bright green gaze meeting mine.
And then hesmiles.
It’s the most genuine, sweetest smile I think I’ve ever seen. It’s like heaven.
And reality dawns on me that it’s because ofme.
I make him smile like that.
My heart flutters in my chest at the thought and I smile too. I give him a soft wave as he takes off after Zack.
I watch and cheer alongside Chloe as they play, and finally, when they win, I jump up and cheer too.
The teams disperse, players filtering out into the stands. Zack comes up to us first and picks Chloe up off the bleachers like she’s a damn sack of potatoes. He kisses her and she swoons and I have to look away, blushing, because it feels a bit too steamy for public viewing.
Then I see Tommy. He slowly saunters over, rustling his blond hair.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asks.
“Thinking,” I say as I look in his eyes.
