Chapter 0431


    “Maybe we should try a different game,” Julian said. “Something easier.”


    “Like what?” I asked.


    “Go fish,” he said, and we bothughed. A game for children might have been more fitting, honestly. At


    least then, I might have stood a chance. I had no proof but I had a feeling, just knowing Julian, that he


    had been counting cards at poker.


    As he started to deal for ourpetitive game of go fish, I said to him, “See


    this is how it should be.”


    He side–eyed me. “How do you mean?”


    “Easy. Being with the person meant for you should be easy, just like this. Fun and silly. Full of more


    laughter than heartache.”


    lian hummed as he set down the deck. I checked my cards. I had a truly


    lousy hand. Looked like I was going to lose at go fish too as badly as poker. Julian would never let me


    live it down.


    “Does Bridget y cards?” I asked.


    Julian’s smile twitched downward, just a hair. “I’m not sure.” He ced down two matching cards. He


    was already ahead of me. Of course.


    Julian obviously enjoyed ying cards. It seemed unfair that he had no idea if the person he thought


    was his true love even liked it.


    I was enjoying it myself, though admittedly, I wasn’t any good. But this was another point I wanted to


    prove. The right person for him would try to learn his favorite games, just because he liked them. She


    would want to try just to spend time at his side.


    I wished I could make him see, but the longer we spent together, the more I wasn’t sure if any of my


    lessons were being learned. He seemed so


    entrenched with his feelings for Bridget, like he’d harbored them so long, he had no idea how else to


    be.


    As we continued to y, and Julian continued to beat me at cards, I noticed Nichs walk out into the


    garden. His gaze cast over the flowers and the fields before he spotted me and Julian at our small two


    person table. We were both leaning over the table, far into each other’s personal space.


    Part of my lesson in how a girlfriend should act included being more touchy feely. I had been making


    efforts to touch his arm or his hand, to lean into him. Even now, my leg pressed against his under the


    table from knee to ankle.


    “Nichs is watching us,” Julian said. He plucked a card from the pile, then dropped three three’s. “He


    looks rather annoyed at our closeness.”


    “Let him look,” I said, huffier than I meant. “Today isn’t about him.”


    “It’s about us?” Julian asked.


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    “It’s about you,” I said. I didn’t know why it was so important to me to Save Julian from his unrequited


    romance. Maybe it was because we had gotten to be such good friends. Maybe it was because, unlike


    me and my feelings for Nichs, Julian had a chance to be free of his love and live his


    best life.


    “He looks like he’s about toe over,” Julian said.


    I nced up in time to see Nichs step forward. My breath caught in my throat. What would he even


    say? Would he try to split up Julian and I? Would he want to sneak me away to some closet for a


    secret tryst?


    I didn’t know what I expected, or what I wanted.


    But then Bridget appeared behind him and grabbed his arm, stopping him. She gave him her high–


    beam smile and thoroughly distracted him. As she pulled him away, Nichs didn’t even nce back.


    My heart sunk down as my disappointment surged.