I Don't Belong To You

Chapter 31

"God, I can't believe how long it's been."

"You mean since you ended our relationship in the middle of dinner?"

The urge to cringe is absolutely overwhelming. Of all the times she imagined running into him, the last thing she ever wanted to leave her mouth, especially the first thing, was something that makes it sound like she's still hung up on that moment.

And his soft smirk, that he at least has the decency to fix back into a sad smile, tells her that's exactly what he got from that and she's desperate to change the topic.

"What brings you here?"

His brow crinkles. "This is my favorite place for Sunday brunch, you know that."

She looks around and, for the first time, she remembers that she did used to eat here with him. He does love this place.

And that feeling, the feeling of walking into a place they've been to several times and thinking nothing of him restores her confidence in this whole situation.

She had dreaded running into him for the first few weeks after they ended, but after a few weeks sleeping with Becky, which have ultimately turned into creating a family with her, she's forgotten about the common places in the neighborhood that they used to frequent. And she finds it in her to tell him that.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot."

His smile falters and she grows stronger in that moment.

She even grows so bold as to be the first to ask, "So how have you been?"

He relaxes a little and tilts his head back and forth. "Oh you know, busy but good. You?"

"Really good, thanks."

"That's great," he nods and runs his hands over the menu in front of him and that makes her look up, wondering what's taking Becky so long.

He must get tired not being the center of attention because he loudly clears his throat, "Freen, did you hear me?"

She turns her attention back to him, already over this conversation. "What?"

"I said...I said it's good to see you. I didn't realize how much I missed you until now."

She nods slowly at that, not really sure what she's supposed to say.

"I think...I think the time for missing me was a year and a half ago."

She picks up the menu and starts looking over her options, desperately hungry now and growing more annoyed with him by the minute.

"Yeah, I know. I...," his hair is a little longer and he runs his fingers through it in a way that would've melted her heart two years ago.

"You know, I...I don't know if you remember, but I was headed to Beijing when we broke up. For two and a half weeks and it...it just seemed like such an easy decision at that table until I came back and...you were gone. And everytime I tried to pick up the phone, I kept telling myself that it was for the best but damn...it's hard to remember why I thought that now, sitting right in front of you. Have I mentioned you look good?"

"Mm. No need for that. I've already told her."

It's her voice first that startles him and then when he looks up at her, it's surely her height as she towers over him, sunglasses removed so that they can both see how unimpressed she looks.

She's more than grateful today that Becky decided that her usual frat boy look was insufficient. She stands in front of them in tight black jeans, ripped at the knees, with a long plain white shirt and a red bomber jacket thrown on casually to give her a fashionable look that manages to seem, simultaneously, effortless. In short, she looks hot as hell.