From “Clingy” to Gone My Independence Was His Biggest Regret novel Chapter 9

flew back to Seattle the next day.

After the wedding thing, Alex and I started getting closer.

urns out he wasn’t just normal–the guy was actually pretty chatty.

During lunch breaks, he’d snap random photos of clouds outside his office and send them over.

le’d blow up my phone with crying cat memes made from pictures of his actual cat.

Working late nights, he’d still text me stuff like

Coffee shop’s out of everything except stale muffins. Tragic.”

Vithout thinking about it, I started sharing random bits of my day with him too.

le always texted back immediately.

oming home tired to find a bunch of his messages waiting felt weirdly nice.

ike someone had been thinking about me all day.

ntil one time Alex didn’t respond within his usual five minutes.

kept checking my phone. Nothing.

his weird disappointment hit me hard.

actually started typing “Why aren’t you responding?”

ight before sending, I came to my senses.

What the hell was I doing?

emanding my boss text me back faster?

deleted those words fast.

hen a voice note came through.

ackground noise of chairs moving and people talking.

Got pulled into emergency meeting. Just finished.”

folding my phone, I suddenly remembered something from when Ezra and I first started dating.

We were texting when he said he was grabbing dinner, then disappeared completely.

I waited over an hour before asking, “How was dinner?”

He just wrote back, “Fine.”

Such a small thing, but it left me feeling hollow.

After eating, it never crossed his mind to check in or ask what I was doing.

I didn’t push it then. Just kept chatting like normal.

hapter 9

ventually, Ezra stopped responding altogether.

When I’d follow up, he’d snap, “Don’t you have better things to do?”

ven though I was way past caring about response times like some teenager,

lex’s explanation still made me quietly happy.

ut I kept it polite:

to problem, handle your work. Don’t worry about texting back.]

he chat instantly showed typing…

fter a long pause, this huge message appeared.

World War II soldiers still found time to write letters home. Sports commentators call their girlfriends during commercial breaks. Rock stars top mid–show

xt their wives back.

n just some regular corporate guy. No matter how crazy busy I get, I can always spare ten seconds for one text.]

o… would you maybe want to be my girlfriend?]

left work early to dodge Alex.

idn’t work out that way.

ound Ezra waiting outside my building instead, clutching a bouquet.

Reese, I want to show you I can change.”

now started drifting down.

zra stood under the streetlight, his breath forming little clouds in the cold air.

Everything you used to do for me, I’ll do for you now. I’ll be the one who’s clingy, asking about your day constantly.”

watched him steadily.

You couldn’t handle it when we lived in the same apartment. Now we’re in different states. You think that’s gonna work?”

is eyes brightened, like he saw an opening.

Won’t be long distance.”

Movar’s been spreading lies at the hospital, causing major drama. I resigned. Just give me time to find something here. We can start over.

Was exhausted. Cut him off.

I already started over.”

Ezra looked lost.

“What do you mean?”

Thinking about that text. I felt shaky “I have someone now. A boyfriend.”

Ezra obviously didn’t believe me. His face went skeptical.

“Who? No way you moved on this fast…”

Chapter 9

“That’d be me.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Alex walked up beside me, took Ezra’s flowers, and nodded dismissively.

“Pretty flowers. Time to go.”

Ezra went completely rigid. His mouth opened and closed but nothing came out.

Finally, he let out a long breath.

Too late then?”

Nobody answered.

Alex grabbed my hand and we walked off, leaving Ezra standing there in the snow.

Aflake caught on my eyelash, making me blink from the cold.

uddenly I remembered that day Alex rushed back from his business trip. Also snowy.

n the conference room, he’d said:

You really don’t remember me at all, do you?”

stopped dead, spun around to face him with sudden clarity.

Wait. You were my pretend husband?”

lex made this amused little sound.

Finally clicked?”

nother snowy day, years ago. My friends and I playing house in the park.

Tobody wanted to be my husband, so I grabbed some random kid making a snowman.

¡ever thought I’d run into him again.

lex was staring at me with this intense look.

You never answered my question.”

lifted our joined hands and grinned.

This is my answer!”

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Chapter 1