Page 144 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

Francis.

Kyle.

Rick.

One after another. Like dominoes. Like someone had set them up long before I ever touched them.

And then I saw it.

Mel.

Her eyes were glassy now. Guilt smearing all over her face.

And then suddenly, her voice broke, “We orchestrated their return!”

Tears slipped down her face.

Everything in me went still.

“What?” I breathed, feeling my stomach drop.

“We contacted them,” she continued, her voice shaking. “We asked them to come on your birthday.”

“What?” I asked again, my vision blurring.

“We’re the reason they’re back,” Mel said.

“Why?” I asked quietly, disbelief settling deep into my bones.

Andi’s eyes were filled with tears now too. “We thought… we hoped their return would help you.”

“Help me with what?” My voice rose. “With moving on? With closure? Or with making me relive everything over again?”

“James—” Andre started.

“You played me,” I cut in. “You made me look like a fool.”

“No,” Andi said quickly. “It isn’t like that, James⁠—”

But I was already standing.

My chair scraped loudly against the floor louder than it should’ve been.

This caught the attention of the other customers in the place. But I didn’t care.

I walked away. Because if I stayed even a second longer, I didn’t know what I’d say—and I might end the best friendships I had.

The 10 A.M. air hit me the second I stepped out of Punched Coffee—bright, sharp, and unforgiving.

“James—wait!”

Footsteps behind me followed. Quick and urgent.

I kept walking.

“James, stop!” Andi called. “You’re gay—you walk too fast!”

A hand caught my arm.