Chapter 1
Three weeks ago, Ethan broke up with me.
After three years together.
His reason was simple. I was boring.
Apparently, spending my evenings reading books, working at a bookstore, and being perfectly happy with the same quiet routine we’d had since high school wasn’t enough anymore.
He wanted to have fun.
He wanted something different.
He wanted a life that wasn’t so predictable.
I guess I was the predictable part.
The funny thing was, I had never thought of myself as boring.
I liked my life.
I liked quiet mornings and long shifts at the bookstore. I liked getting lost in a book until I forgot what time it was. I liked knowing exactly where I belonged and who would be waiting for me at the end of the day.
Ethan used to like those things about me.
We had grown up together. Same school, same town, same group of friends. Ethan and his two best friends had been inseparable since they were kids, and somehow, I had ended up becoming part of that little circle too.
For three years, Ethan had been my boyfriend. My best friend. The person I thought I’d eventually marry.
Then one day, he decided he was tired of me. And just like that, I became the girl he used to date.
Since then, I had barely left my house.
Home. Work. Home again. That was my entire life.
Jessica was the only person who refused to let me disappear completely.
She called almost every day. She brought food when I didn’t feel like cooking. She tried to make me laugh even when I didn’t feel like smiling.
And apparently, she’d finally decided that enough was enough.
“There’s a party tonight.”
Aria looked up from the book in her hands.
“No.”
“You didn’t even ask where.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“It’s at Ryan’s.”
“No.”
“Everyone’s going.”
Aria lowered her book.
“That makes it worse.”
Jessica rolled her eyes.
“Aria.”
“Jessica.”
“You’ve been doing nothing but work and hide in your house for three weeks.”
“I haven’t been hiding.”
“You absolutely have.”
Aria sighed and looked back at her book.
“I don’t like parties.”
“You used to.”
“I used to have a boyfriend who went with me.”
Jessica went quiet for a second.
“You can’t avoid him forever.”
“I don’t want to watch him flirt with random girls all night.”
Jessica’s expression softened.
“I know.”
Aria looked down at the book again.
The truth was, the thought of seeing Ethan made her stomach twist. Especially knowing that he had moved on so quickly. Or maybe he hadn’t even needed to move on. Maybe she’d just been that easy to forget.
Jessica stood up.
“Get dressed.”
“No.”
“Aria.”
“No.”
“You’re coming.”
Aria laughed despite myself.
“You’re impossible.”
“And you’re going to stop acting like your life ended three weeks ago.”
Aria closed her book. She already knew she was going to regret this.
But somehow, a few hours later, she was standing in front of the mirror wearing a dress Jessica had practically forced her into.
Aria barely recognized herself.
Maybe that was the point.
The moment Jessica and Aria walked into the house, she regretted coming. Music shook the walls, people crowded every room, and almost everyone looked familiar. High school had apparently decided to reunite.
Aria spotted a few people she hadn’t seen in years. Some waved. Some smiled. A few looked at her for a second longer than necessary, probably because they remembered her as Ethan’s girlfriend.
Jessica grabbed her hand.
“Come on.”
“Where?”
“Somewhere with alcohol.”
“I don’t drink that much.”
“Tonight you do.”
Aria laughed quietly.
They made their way through the crowded living room, and for a few minutes, Ari managed to forget why she was there.
Then she saw him. Ethan. He was sitting on the couch with Sophie. Her arms were around his neck. His hands were on her waist.
And then she kissed him. Right there. In front of everyone.
Aria froze. Sophie. Of course.
She and Aria had actually been friends once.
Back in school, Aria, Jessica and Sophie used to spend time together. Until Sophie started changing. She became distant, then arrogant, acting like she was somehow better than everyone else. Eventually, they stopped talking.
Jessica followed Aria’s gaze.
“Aria…”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I’m fine.”
She wasn’t.
She grabbed the drink from Jessica’s hand.
Jessica frowned.
“That’s mine.”
“Not anymore.”
“Aria—”
She drank it anyway.
It burned going down.
“Okay,” Jessica said slowly. “Maybe we should—”
“I need another one.”
“Maybe water?”
Aria looked at her.
“Jessica.”
She sighed.
“Fine.”
The next drink went down easier. Then another.
Aria wasn’t trying to get drunk, she just wanted everything to stop hurting for a few hours.
After a while, the music seemed louder, the room warmer, and her thoughts much less organized. Aria wandered away from Jessica, trying to find somewhere quieter. She turned a corner too quickly and walked straight into someone.
“Sorry.”
The man steadied her by her arms.
“You okay?”
Aria looked up.
She recognized him immediately.
One of Ethan’s best friends. Damien. They had known each other for years. Apparently, he didn’t recognize her.
She gave him a bitter little smile.
“Yeah. Of course.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Aria stepped back.
“I’m just boring. Not even important enough to remember, right?”
His expression changed.
“Wait…”
She laughed.
Then he looked at her properly.
“Aria?”
She shrugged.
“I didn’t recognize you in this dress. And it’s dark in here.”
She looked away.
“Sure.”
“You’re drunk.”
“I’m aware.”
“Where’s Jessica?”
Aria pointed vaguely toward the living room.
“Somewhere.”
Damien glanced in that direction.
“You shouldn’t be walking around alone.”
Before he could say anything else, Jessica appeared.
“There you are!”
She looked between us.
“Everything okay?”
“She’s drunk,” Damien said.
“I noticed.”
Jessica took her arm.
“Come on.”
Aria looked back at Damien for a second before letting Jessica pull her away.
She didn’t think much about the conversation afterward. She was too drunk. And too hurt.
By the time they got into Jessica’s car, she was staring out the window, watching the lights of the town blur past.
Jessica glanced at her.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“At least you’re honest.”
Aria rested her head against the window.
“I know Sophie changed but I still care about her.”
Jessica sighed.
“I know.”
Aria swallowed.
“But how could he do that?”
Jessica didn’t answer.
“He knew we were friends.”
Aria’s voice cracked slightly.
“He knew.”
“I know, Aria.”
“How would he feel if I hooked up with one of his friends?”
Jessica looked at her.
For a second, neither of them said anything.
Then Jessica smiled.
“Maybe you should.”
Aria turned toward her.
“What?”
“Hook up with one of his friends.”
Aria started laughing.
“You’re insane.”
“I’m serious.”
“Ethan would lose his mind.”
“Exactly.”
Aria shook her head.
“No.”
But she was still laughing.
And for the first time in weeks, she wasn’t thinking about how much she missed Ethan.
She was thinking about something else.
Even if it was only for a few seconds.o
