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(Max)

Leaning back in e’s chair and pulled her closer, so she was situated between hs “What happened with you and Stuart?”

She blinked, pausing in chewing her pizza

Well it could be said that my question had come out of left-field Especially since we’d just been pondering over whether the colour orange was named because of the colour of the fruit or vice versa But while Stuart had convinced e, I couldn’t help wondering whether that went both ways

“You don’t know?” she asked, crossing one bare leg over the other Atonly h

“I know the basics I know you dated for a short ti so independent bothered him Or, more specifically, that it hurt his pride that you didn’t need him But I don’t know your side of the story”

She shrugged “There’s not uy Very different froo somewhere But he likes to be needed Which is fine, but I don’t need or want someone to be my rock I depend on hly independent—it’s just part of e, to tone downto happen, so I broke things off”

“He was pissed Said some pretty shitty stuff about you” I watched her face carefully, searching for any signs of hurt There were none

“I know, I heard He later apologised to ive him and move on, because … well, I liked him, but I hadn’t cared about him, so his snarky comments hadn’t really bothered me all that much”

And , relieved breath Which was ridiculous, because I shouldn’t give that much of a shit one way or the other

Sipping her cola-flavoured NST, she eyed me curiously “You’re pretty self-reliant yourself To the point of pushing other people away, actually”

I instinctively bristled, feeling defensive, but nonetheless admitted, “I suppose I am”