Page 31 of Take My Love

“Thanks, and you do too.”

“I’m not holdin’ out hope since I can hardly find a guy to stay with me for more than a few months before they end it.”

“I’m shocked they don’t fall immediately in love with your bubbly personality,” he quips.

Laughing, I playfully push against his chest. “I’m very nice, thank you.”

“I’ve yet to witness it but if you say so.”

I roll my eyes, putting items into the fridge. Then I roll them again when I grab Silas’s bottle of creamer.

“If it helps any, I’m a pro at gettin’ over a broken heart, so I can give you advice in that area,” I say, shoving boxes of Mac ‘n’ Cheese into the cupboard.

“I’m all ears.”

“The best way to get over someone is to date someone new.”

He arches an unamused brow. “That’s yourbestadvice?”

“Okay yes, it’s an obvious one, but I have more,” I defend. “Get rid of all your photos together. Erase ’em from your phone and social media pages. Don’t post anythin’ wishy washy or depressive. Especially sad song lyrics. You want her to think you’re doing better off without her and then you’ll eventually believe you are. Buyin’ new clothes was a good first step.”

“Should I post a selfie in my new flannel?”

I bellow out a laugh. “Absolutely. She’ll hate it.”

“Okay, what else?” he asks as we continue bringing in more bags.

“If you haven’t already, block her number. Don’t give yourself the hope she’ll reach out or the temptation to text her. Wallowin’ is only acceptable the first forty-eight hours, after that, you only rot in bed as self-care.”

“What’s the difference?”

“You watch a funny show or movie, eat healthy food, and do a face mask. No cryin’ allowed unless it’s from laughter.”

“And that works?”

“Foolproof.” I grin, moving past him to stock the pantry. “And then you get up the next mornin’ and the next day and the next…eventually, they’re no longer the last person you think of when you fall asleep or the first person when you wake up. Your heart doesn’t beat faster at the thought of ’em and you become indifferent when they do enter your mind. That’s when you know you’re over ’em and can move on for good.”

He’s in front of me when I close the door. I glance up and immediately regret it when I find his eyes glossed over and his expression too soft for my liking.

He knows I’m talking about him.

chapter six

Silas

It’s takenme six years to realize the gravity of how badly I hurt Posey when she realized I hadn’t forgotten about our night together and then started dating someone else. Although it was miscommunication on both sides, I should’ve gotten over my fear of rejection and spoken to her about it sooner.

You don’t talk about how to get over a heart break without experiencing it for yourself. So even if she gives me a hard time, teases me, and acts like she’s over everything that happened between us, I’m going to find a way to make it up to her.

Better late than never.

“I wish I hadn’t lied to Warren that day,” I blurt when our eyes meet.

She looks up, her brows pinched in confusion. “What?”

“The day after his weddin’. The conversation you overheard. If I hadn’t lied and said I’d forgotten most of the night, you never would’ve assumed I didn’t remember. I should’ve made up somethin’ else.”

“It was a long time ago, Silas. No point in rehashin’ the past.” She moves to walk past me, but I grab her arm. Her gaze lowers to where my fingers wrap around her.