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“Another?” The bartender grins at lass toward her across the bar top

“Make it a double”

“Celebrating so?” She arches a brow, and I wish I could shrink away froaze What does she see when she looks at me? Someone to pity? If she does, she’s too nice to say it, at least “Or ?”

“The latter,” I mumble, as she slides a brand new double vodka soda back to lass at her in salute, and she pours herself a shot too

“To better days ahead, sis,” she says, tapping her glass against mine

“A At theout the front pocket of it Inside is the contract I signed earlier tonight The one allme “I told you so” over for years to come

They were right I should have listened But I thought it was real

I thought it was love

I take another drink, longer than my last, while the bartender drifts away to nurse so custoest, fanciest hotel I could find don for exactly this reason Because the only people you find in places like this are the other dregs of society People like o No plans on a rainy Thursday evening like this one People in transit—here on business trips or passing through on their way from point A to point B

I thought I was done with this life The single life, bar-hopping, the cesspool that is dating in the ured, when I met Kevin, I was done with all that

Froo, he seeuy Okay, so our first and last date was at a Starbucks And okay, after I moved in with hi our house entirely, and only saw our friends whenever they showed up on our doorstep to forcibly drag us out to events But that was norht, you don’t need to bother with fake ro out on expensive dates You just… settled into life together

That’s e got engaged after just four ether Then we eloped a few months after that

My friends all told ive it ti, so what did it matter if ent down to the Justice of the Peace a year or two later, instead of right then?

But, exactly, I argued with the, so why not tie the knot now? It was love—or so I toldokay Plus Kevin had already pointed out to me how much money it would save us on our taxes

Well Howjob as the director of an investirl at the local florist shop, who enjoyed spending her days arranging bouquets for other people’s weddings, and other people’s Valentine’s Days, and other people’s anniversaries

He used to joke that all that exposure to romance in reed But noonder if I wasn’t just agreeing because I wished that were true Not because it actually was

How did I not see this co?

I swirl my vodka soda on the bar and take another deep s I mean, I knew Kevin had his flaws Sure Don’t we all I kneasn’t into romance; I knew he hated any ‘unnecessary’ expenses (which included birthday or Christifts, too, apparently) I knew he liked to keep everything in his life neatly categorized and organized But I figured, that was the price of e You compromise You learn to live with each other’s quirks

My friends tried to warn me I didn’t want to listen I just wanted to be done with the dating game I wanted to move on to the next step in life, and he ell He was there