Page 107 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

That earned another laugh from him—easy, familiar, like no time had passed at all.

And just like that, it didn’t feel strange within his axis anymore.

It felt as though we had done this before.

Something we were good at.

Two hours and four bottles of beer later, the place had quieted down.

Most of the tables were empty now, chairs slightly pushed out like people had left in a hurry to catch something better outside. The laughter had softened into scattered conversations—the kind that lingered instead of filled the space. Even the lights felt dimmer somehow, like the night was finally settling.

Rick and I were still talking—about nothing important, or something ridiculous I had said five minutes ago.

“…and Honey really thought that was a good idea.” he said, laughing at a memory.

“She did think it was a good idea,” I said.

“I miss that girl,” Rick added. “We were so close.”

“You were,” I said. “And I loved that you got along with my friends.”

“I’m likable like that,” he said proudly.

I raised an eyebrow—but eventually ended up laughing with him.

“Remember Bali?” he said, leaning back slightly.

“The best sunset,” I said.

He nodded enthusiastically. “Gosh! I still remember lounging at a beach in Canggu, watching the sun literally dip along the horizon.”

“I know,” I said. “It was unreal!”

“Unreal!” he echoed.

“Thailand was good too,” I added.

“Because of the food,” he said.

“Ugh!” I dropped my shoulders. “Kra Pao Chicken is the best!”

He laughed. “You judged every single meal like you were on a cooking show.”

“Because they were all that good,” I defended. “And don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it.”

“I did,” he admitted. “Especially Chiang Mai.”

My smile softened.

“The elephant sanctuary,” I said quietly.

He nodded. “That trip was something else.”

“It didn’t even feel real after,” I added. “Like we just woke up one day and decided to do something meaningful.”

Rick looked at me for a second longer.

“We were good at that,” he said.