Page 80 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

And just like that, we were back to our love-hate banter again.

Kyle exhaled, a small smile tugging at his lips—not amused, not defensive. Just… accepting.

“Yeah,” he said. “I probably deserved that.”

“Probably?” I raised a brow.

He let out a breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “Okay. Definitely.”

I leaned back slightly, studying him.

“And yet,” he added after a moment, “you’re still here.”

Silence took over me—because I didn’t like my answer.

He glanced down at the table, then back at me. “So what happened?”

I knew what he meant.

“Nothing,” I said lightly. “Just your typical situationship tragedy.”

Kyle didn’t look convinced.

“Right,” he said slowly.

A beat.

“And us?”

I let out a short laugh, shaking my head.

“Oh, do I need to remind you?” I asked.

That landed.

But this time, he didn’t deflect. Didn’t joke.

He just looked at me.

Really looked.

“I didn’t forget,” he said.

Something shifted in the quiet. Regret, maybe. Or something close enough to it.

But I didn’t soften.

I wasn’t that version of myself anymore.

“Good,” I said, picking up my glass.

Silence settled again—but looser this time. Like something had already been acknowledged, even if it wasn’t fixed.

Kyle leaned back slightly, studying me in a way that felt intense.

“You look good,” he said.

I didn’t react.