Page 24 of Fangs with Benefits

‘What was going on there?’ she whispers, not quietly.

‘He was torturing me.’

‘Didn’t look like it,’ she mutters.

When someone waves me over for a question, I’m thankful to have the distraction, for once.

Texts between Hailey and Molly, 15 October 2026

Hailey: Hi Moll

Hailey: wyd

Hailey: Molllllyyyyyy plz respondddd

Molly: Working

Hailey: Can you Facetime? I need help with my audition outfit.

Molly: please refer to my last text

Hailey: You are so boring, booooo.

Hailey: Are you free tonight?

Molly: For what? I thought you had a date?

Hailey: I do. Hoping you’ll want to come out of your cave and make it a double

Molly: no

Hailey: PLEASEEEE MOLLY! He’s hot! And a director.

Molly: oh well if that’s the case, then hell no

Hailey: I am so afflicted.

Molly: Loveyoubyeeeee

Chapter 9

Molly

Since my chat with Elijah on the roof, I can’t stop thinking about my life in percentages. I was with Matt for five years–about 17 per cent of my life–and spent another almost 10 per cent trying to get over the trainwreck conclusion to our relationship.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about the series of events and variables that led to our unfortunate end and have gone back and forth on whether the catastrophe was my fault. Well, it’s certainly not my fault that he cheated on me–he made his choices–but I didn’t even see it coming and that does seem like a me problem.

I sometimes comb through old photos of us and try to put myself in that moment, seeking signs that my fiancé and partner of five years was cheating. Only, I still can’t find them. Matt was happy, I thought, and I know I was happy. We were going on dates and giggling in bed at night; it’s not like we weren’t having sex or weren’t kissing each other goodbye in the morning. The day before I found out he was cheating, we met up for pizza at our favourite spot and he told me we should name our first son Vince in honour of Vinny’s Pizza.

And all the while, he was going back to work and having sex with his colleague Luce in his office? Insane behaviour.

Perhaps the worst part is that when I found out and immediately started packing a suitcase to stay at Hailey’s, he didn’t understand why I was so upset.

I’m not marrying her, he said, as if this absolved him. I’m marrying you! I love you! I’d never want to own a house with her, or share a bank account with her, it’s just sex.

Five years together and, somehow, he never brought up his stance on ‘ethical nonmonogamy’. When I asked him if he’d be upset if I was sleeping with my coworkers, though, he really thought about it and then said I’d probably have a harder time not getting attached, so I shouldn’t.

Delusional. Literally delusional. I was five months away from marrying the guy.