He Chose His Old Crush and Lost Me Chapter 12

He Chose His Old Crush and Lost Me Chapter 12

I buried myself in the library, from opening to closing every day.

If I kept busy enough, there’d be no room to dwell on what Jake and I had been

My roommate commented, “Lily, have you lost weight? You look different.”

I laughed it off. “Spring’s here. I’m on a diet.”

She groaned in mock outrage. “You’re already skinny- leave some room for the rest of us.”

I joined in the teasing, but my eyes stung for no good reason.

One afternoon, I’d been camped out in the study hall until four. My neck was killing me.

I tilted my head, massaging the sore spot-

And spotted Ethan in the front row, watching me with that lazy smirk of his.

When he caught my eye, he got up and strolled over.

“Finally tapped out, overachiever?”

He shook his head, amused.

“What’s the deal with you and studying? I swear, I’ve never met anyone who loves it more.”

He tossed me a carton of milk.

“Hydrate. You lost a lot of tears that night.”

I flashed back to the car ride. The second I’d gotten in, I’d completely crumbled.

At first, just red eyes and silent tears.

Then I’d curled into a ball, face buried in my knees, sobbing.

Ethan-who never shut up-had gone completely quiet the whole drive.

Didn’t say a word.

He’d even scrapped whatever plans he had and just dropped me off at my dorm.

I glanced at the milk in my hand.

Before I could open it, he snatched it back.

“Hey-”

He twisted the cap off and handed it back, one eyebrow raised.

Like he was saying, See? You always think the worst of me.

I changed the subject. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Alex got stuck in a meeting. “Sent his future brother-in-law to take you shopping,” he said, dragging out the title like a punchline.”

He dragged out brother-in-law like it was a punchline.

I rolled my eyes and packed up.

Mom’s birthday was in a few days. We’d never gotten that gift.

Might as well pick something out now, and Ethan’s opinion wouldn’t hurt.

By the time we finished shopping, it was eight.

Ethan grabbed my arm and demanded dinner. I tried to bail.

He caught me, throwing me into a headlock.

We were shoving each other in the middle of the mall when I bumped into someone.

I spun around, apologizing—

And came face to face with Jake and Elena.