

Alex and Steve finished another pitcher of sangria while they waited for Dylan.
âHoly shit, with Dylan and Jenna,â Steve said. âHow are you handling everything?â
Alex groaned. âTheyâre both so fucking happy. I had breakfast with them this morning and thought I would throw up. Theyâre like teenagers making eyes at each other.â
âHow can you watch?â
âThe whole thing makes me angry, but I know I donât have a right to be.â
âYouâre angry because youâre jealous, you jackass. Because you love her.â
âShe told Dylan, you know,â Alex said.
âTold him what? That youâre a jackass?â
âHa. No. That she loved me.â
âShe did? Is she nuts?â
âShe told him, âIt is what it isâ and asked him if he could handle it.â
Steve shook his head. âSheâs something.â
âYeah, something,â Alex agreed. âAnyway, heâll be gone in a couple of days. Dylan says they are going to try the long-distance relationship thing, but I canât imagine that working. This has to fizzle out, right?â
âDo you want it to? At least with Dyl, you know heâs not some wacko guy she met online. Heâs not the worst person she could be with,â Steve said, then grimaced as he sipped the last of the sangria. âAh, this is so sweet. I feel my teeth rotting. Anyway, Dylanâs never around, which means you get her to yourself. If youâre not ready to deal with your shit and tell her how you really feel and youâre willing to give her up, at least itâs to Dylan.â
âLike I could compete with D-Barnes. Thereâs no way sheâd want me after being with him.â
âYouâre wrong,â Steve said. âIf itâs a competition, you already won. You forfeited, though.â
Alex leaned back in his chair and took a deep breath. A blonde woman at the table next to him smiled his way. All he could think about was Jenna. âYeah, I guess I forfeited. Whyâd I do that again?â
âBecause youâre fucked up.â
Jessica Calla is a lawyer by day, romance writer by night. Her favorite time is the kidsâ “bedtime,” when she’s free to open the laptop, battle with the blinking cursor, and pour out the contents of her heart. Jessica is a member of Romance Writers of America, involved in the Contemporary, Young Adult, and New Jersey Chapters, and is a member of the Womenâs Fiction Writers Association. She lives in central New Jersey with her husband, two sons, and her dog. Besides reading and writing, she enjoys movies, coffee, and chocolate and considers herself addicted to Diet Coke and Netflix (in a good way).
