5. Sophie
Igawk at Ethan as he walks up to me. Dread pools in the pit of my stomach.
That’s my ex. The guy who I fell head over heels in love with. The guy who shattered my heart into a million pieces. The first and only guy I ever slept with.
The guy who said he could never get serious with a girl like me.
My memory slingshots back to the day three years ago when he ended things between us.
This was fun, but we were never serious, Sophie. I thought you knew that. I could never get serious with a girl like you. You’re too young, too inexperienced…
The second he spoke those words, my heart ripped in half. The guy I was in love with never saw me as more than just a casual fling.
Ethan frowns as he looks at me. I’m certain I’m white as a ghost and look like I’m about to hurl.
He’s the last person on the planet I ever wanted to see.
Just then a tall woman with long, dark hair walks out of the restaurant that’s right next to the bar and up to Ethan. She grins at him and takes his hand. He gazes back at her adoringly.
Ethan clears his throat and turns back to me. “I thought that was you. Weird seeing you after all this time.”
He shoves his free hand into the pocket of his top coat. His wife or girlfriend looks between us, still smiling.
“You two know each other?” she asks.
Ethan clears his throat. “Uh, yeah. We went to medical school together. Sophie, this is my girlfriend, Ellie.”
I try to smile, but my face feels so tight from the shock of seeing him. God, I’m so awkward.
“Do you work at University Hospital too?” Ellie asks in a cheery tone.
It takes a second to find my voice. I shake my head. “No, I’m the team physician for the Bashers.”
Ethan’s eyes widen. He blinks at me like he can’t quite believe that I could have this job. “Wait, are you serious?” he sputters.
Irritation rockets through me.Years ago he broke my heart and now he’s doubting my ability as a doctor. What a jackass.
I stand up straighter. I’m five-foot-five so I’m nowhere near as tall as Ethan’s six feet, but hearing that disbelief in his voice makes me want to posture as best as I can.
“I’m serious,” I say, my tone pointed.
Ellie smiles. “Wow, what a cool job!”
When I see the way his jaw works for a second, I feel a burst of satisfaction. He’s pissed off that his girlfriend is so impressed by my job.
Stay pissed off, you jerk.
This time when I smile at her, it feels a million times more natural. “It is cool.”
“Your dad must have gotten that job for you then,” Ethan says, an edge to his voice.
“Like how your dad got you your job?” I bite back. Ethan’s dad is a big shot attending physician at University Hospital. I remember Ethan mentioned when we dated that his dad was going to pull some strings so that he could do his residency there and make sure that he was hired on after that.
His date’s smile starts to fade as she looks between us.
Ethan’s jaw bulges as he bites down, clearly frustrated with me for calling him out. But whatever. Yeah, I got my job because my dad is the head coach, but he’s got no right to imply that he earned his position through merit alone after everything his dad has done for him.
A second passes and he clears his throat. “Just kidding, Sophie. Sounds like an awesome job. Good for you.”
He slinks an arm around Ellie’s waist, pulling her close.
“My work may not be as cool as yours, but it’s where I met Ellie.” He kisses her cheek. “Pretty good trade-off, if you ask me.”
I can’t believe how petty and smug Ethan is right now. I shouldn’t be surprised though. He was always like this.
It wasn’t until a few months after our breakup that I realized what a selfish and insecure jerk he was the entire time we dated. He always pointed out when he performed better on an exam than me. But when I did better than him, he never complimented me. I was always putting myself down to build him up.
And he talked about himself constantly—his accomplishments, his plans, what was stressing him out. He hardly ever asked me how I was feeling.
I should have broken up with him. But I didn’t know any better. I was barely nineteen years old when we started dating. He was almost ten years older than me. Ethan was my first relationship, and I was so in love with him.
Ethan kisses Ellie’s neck. She giggles. He glances at me, his smile on the edge of smug, as if to silently taunt me with his relationship.
I grit my teeth, infuriated that I was ever in love with such a jerk. God, I wish I could think of a way to wipe that smirk off his face.
Maybe I shouldn’t be so bothered by Ethan’s petty PDA with his girlfriend, but I am. Not because I want him back or because I’m jealous of his girlfriend or anything like that. But because he was an asshole for the way he treated me when we were together, and I want to get back at him. As immature as that is, it’s how I feel. I want to show Ethan I’m a million times better off without him.
Just then the door to the bar opens behind me. I spin around to look and see Xander walking out.
Something inside of me ignites. Something petty and determined.
This is crazy. Absolutely nuts. But I don’t care.
Before I can talk myself out of it, I grab Xander’s hand in mine and pull him next to me. I slink my arm around his waist and grin up at him. “Hi, baby.”
He squints at me, clearly confused. I blink furiously at him, hoping he can somehow pick up on what I want him to do.
I tiptoe up and tilt my head up at him, then move like I’m going to kiss his cheek.
“Pretend to be my boyfriend? Please?” I whisper in his ear.
A half second later, I feel his warm hand gently grip my cheek.
He leans back, looks me in the eye, and flashes a smug grin, like he understands completely.
“Hey, gorgeous.”
I bite back a smile. Hopefully, he’ll be just as understanding about what I’m going to do next.
I lean up and kiss him.