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"You need to call her and thank her, Michael," hisshe did"

Did people do that when their exes got jobs for their siblings? Wait a second How could there be a precedent? Exes didn’t do that Only Stella Hoas he supposed to stop loving her when she did things like this?

Janie puffed out her chest and blew on her fingernails "In my defense, I killed those interviews I spoke to all six of their senior econometricians, and they have to decide unanimously when they make an offer"

He realized then that Janie had seen Stella Recently His heartbeat sped up He had to know

"Hoas she?"

With that question, Janie’s eyes hardened "She’s fine She looks really good, actually"

"That’sgood" It didn’t feel good, though It felt shitty He should be happy she was doing well, but he wasn’t He wanted her to be sad without him, as sad as he ithout her

She’d really moved on Fuck, a knife in the ribs would be better than this

"That’s right It is good," Janie said

Hislook, but Janie merely crossed her arms and jutted her chin out

Michael pushed away fro to take off early"

He got into his car without a destination in mind All he kneas he needed to leave the shop

Janie would be starting her first job soon HisStella wasforith their lives but hione, and he didn’t need to escort any in the shop All the bars of his cage were gone, but he was still sitting in his old place, afraid to e that

He pulled his car into the parking lot outside a Vietnamese restaurant in Milpitas that specialized in noodle dishes Bells on the door jingled as he stepped inside Quan cleared dirty eatware into plastic bins on a roller cart and wiped down the tabletops with a wet towel The lunch crowd had left, and he was the only one in the front of his parents’ restaurant--aside from the assort the entire back wall of the place

He glanced up at Michael, paused a second, and said, "You look like shit"

Michael rubbed at the back of his neck "Haven’t been sleeping , he was having trouble transitioning back to solitary sleeping When he did e to fall asleep, he dreamed of her And caodda with your girl?"

Michael stuffed his hands in his pockets "We broke up"

Quan’s tattooed ar the tabletop "Why?"

"Wasn’t working"

"Why the fuck not?"

"Look, I ca else"

Quan’s eyebrows shot up "So this is why you look like shit What did you do that she broke up with your ass? Did you try, you know, saying sorry? Getting flowers? Stuffed bears? Chocolate? Chicks dig those things I shouldn’t have to tell you this"

"I was the one who ended it"