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By noon I was hammered, thrilled that the seedy bar we hit up in Queens had a jukebox, and even hties hair bands as uilty pleasure ely made me feel like I was holass "Well," I corrected, holding up a heavy hand, "that one night we actually did it in a bed My bed And in that bed he was brilliant I think we had sex like seven thousand tie asked, standing next to the table and leaning on a pool stick for support

Chloe sighed heavily and ignored hihly suspect peanuts into her ive that up Nothing keeps a relationship together better than a sex Oh, and honesty I , "And just, like, having fun together I ht there"

"We had the sex and the fun"

Chloe looked like she was headed into the nap zone "BB is fking stellar in bed, too," she mumbled

"My coroaned "Thanks for asking Do wo about sex all the time?"

Chloe said, "Yes," just as I said, "Not really"

Then I changed uess not"

We fell into each other giggling, but hter quickly dissolved when a tall shadow stepped into the bar I sat up, heart pounding He had broad shoulders, the saht brown hair

But it wasn’t Max

My chest felt like it was too s oversad I was just mad This just hurts"

Chloe threw an ar and she answered it after barely one ring "I’etting day-drunkShe’s sad and I want to castrate himI knoillI promise I won’t throw up all over the new carpet, settle down I’ll see you later" She ended the call and gave the phone the finger "Such a bossy ass"

And then she slue bent down, inspecting us and shaking his head "You two are a y way"

Tuesday night, George took us to a gy bar, packed wall-to-ith people, pounding with o with him in happier times, but now it only reminded me of how o out and party I didn’t want to be in the rindfest I wanted to find a way to just skip tiet to that point where Max didn’t matter anymore

What scaredAndy; I’d er before I’d get over this one

I finally turnedto find seventeen e He’d sent me about twenty texts on Monday and Tuesday, as well, and those I read:

Call me

Sara, I saw the Post Call : call, text, letto call, I saw the last one and it tripped an instinctive wire caging my heart

Sara, I know it looks really bad It isn’t what you’re thinking

Oh, perfect How many times had I heard that in a past life? The truth is, if you have to say that, it’s al It took raain, this tiood

Max returned Friday, I knew, but I still hadn’t called He didn’t come by my work, and when I turned, too

Which orse: His clichéd insistence that Ifair? I hated the in-between space, where angerwith Andy, feeling like so for sure I had been caught in a horrible battle between feeling like a guilty nag and being positive he was doing st was so ht Max was aIn comparison, I realized I didn’t know that I’d ever felt that about Andy Maybe I’d just wanted to

What was the story with the other woman? Was she someone he hooked up with once before ere serious? Could I really hold that against hiamous? But when had that picture been taken? Was it really only a few days before he spent the night atin there," George called fro hysterical Calm your tits I put a flask in your desk drawer It’s pink and sparkly but don’t fall in love; it’s mine"

I pulled open the drawer "What’s in it?"

"Scotch"

Slao That’s a Max Stella staple"

"I know that"

I glared at the wall, hoping he could feel the burn of my eyes on the back of his neck on the other side "You’re an ass"

"You haven’t called him, have you?"

"No Should I?" I pressed a hand to my face "Don’t answer that He has Spanish flavors of the week Of course I shouldn’t call him"

I stood up and slammed my door closed, but just as I sat back down, three soft taps landed on the other side

"You can co the scotch"

Bennett walked inside, filling the space as only Bennett Ryan really could fill a space I sat up straighter, looked down at anization

"Hi, Bennett I was totally kidding about the scotch I don’t drink at work"

He smiled "I wouldn’t bla what he was doing here We rarely had cause to interact one-on-one at work He studied o, when I’d hit rock bottom, you caave s for Chloe weren’t a surprise to anyone You made it clear that everyone kneas hard on her because I held her in particularly high regard"

I s to chew me out "I remember You were both such sad sacks"

"I’ time" He sat down in the chair on the other side of my desk "He’s always been a bit of a playboy He’s never been in love, I don’t think Before you," he added, eyebrow raised