He Said a Female Bestie Is Fine—So I Got a Male One Chapter 04

He Said a Female Bestie Is Fine—So I Got a Male One Chapter 04

That shut Ethan up for a while.

He sulked and gave me the cold shoulder for days.

We were in this tense, uneasy limbo when his parents called and asked us to come over for dinner.

At the table, his mom and dad, Richard and Linda Cole, could clearly tell something was off between us. They started dropping hints directed squarely at Ethan.

“Ethan, sweetie,” his mother said, “She moved all the way out here for you. Picked up her whole life. Don’t screw it up.”

Ethan and I had met in college. I was an only child, and the original plan had been for me to move back home to Maple Falls, Oregon, after graduation.

But I’d stayed here in Crestwood for him. I’d given up everything.

Hearing his parents’ words seemed to soften something in Ethan. As we were getting ready to leave, he reached for my hand.

“Grace, I…”

He didn’t get the rest of the sentence out.

Someone’s arm looped around his neck from behind.

“Ethan! Finally back in the neighborhood. Let’s go grab a drink or something!”

It was Chloe.

Once again, she was hanging all over him without a shred of self-awareness.

But this time Ethan didn’t laugh it off and return the gesture. He pushed her arm away and glanced at me, looking a little panicked.

Chloe finally seemed to register my presence, made a little clicking sound with her tongue, and wiggled her eyebrows.

“Oh, hey. Look who it is.”

She took a big, exaggerated step backward and bumped right into the small crowd of people who had come with her.

“Dude. You’ve been back and you didn’t say shit in the chat. If Chloe hadn’t seen you, we would’ve totally missed you.”

“Yeah, man. Everyone’s actually around. Come have a drink.”

They were all egging him on.

I could see Ethan’s eyes light up. He wanted to go.

But for once he didn’t immediately say yes. He looked at me, silently asking for permission.

Everyone else noticed the look. Even though I was married to Ethan, his group of friends always kept me at arm’s length.

I wasn’t part of their inner circle, and Chloe had made sure that any event I attended felt awkward and stifling for them.

When I was there, they couldn’t relax.

“Maybe… you could come with?” Ethan asked me, his voice tentative.

I felt the atmosphere in the room tighten instantly.

Chloe was the worst—pouting and making exaggerated faces at the others.

Everyone was waiting for my answer. They didn’t want me to come, but they desperately wanted me to give Ethan the green light to go without me.

So I gave them exactly what they wanted.

I gently pulled my hand out of Ethan’s grasp and said, with perfect calm, “I’ll just grab a cab home.”

Nobody said a word.

The silence was thick and uncomfortable.

After a long moment Ethan looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. He let out a breath, a mix of relief and guilt.

“Okay,” he said, trying to reassure me. “I’ll make it an early night.”

I just smiled, turned, and walked out of the yard.

As I was walking away, I heard one of his friends say, clearly surprised.

“Damn, Ethan. She’s just… cool with it now? No Chloe drama?”