“Dude—” I lunge for it. “I was looking at something!”

“Oh, I know.” He raises an eyebrow. “It’s the same old routine: 1. Stalk Sarah. 2. Call Sarah. 3. See Sarah. 4. Cry. Then repeat.”

I groan, scrubbing a hand over my face. “Just give it back.”

“I’m doing you a favor.” He folds his arms like he’s some moral authority. “You’ve been stuck in this loop with her for four years. Four.”

I hate that he’s right. I hate it even more that I know he’s right.

Anyone with a logical brain would probably think that I’m being crazy for still being hung up on Sarah. I know people think I should hate her. But I don’t. I can’t. Not even after everything.

Prom night was brutal. Her cheating on me with Caleb, my so-called best friend at the time messed with my head. Yeah, that sucked. That betrayal cut deep, especially coming from him. But over the years, I’ve made peace with most of it. After all, it’s not completely her fault. Caleb knew exactly what he was doing. He crossed a line that I never imagined he would. She? She got caught up in... him. The Caleb of it all. It’s what he does. He’s the kind of guy people get lost in. It doesn’t make it okay, but I can’t completely blame her.

Back then, Sarah wasn’t just my girlfriend. She became my best friend. Besides Caleb, she went out of her way to make me feel seen. Wanted. Important. And somehow, even after the breakup, that connection never fully broke. After she profusely apologized for what she did, she visited me in college. She constantly checked in on me to make sure I was okay. We stayed close. Of course, hooking up only made sense. She was my girlfriend after all. I’m happy to say she was my first. And maybe, in a weird way, I kind of assumed she’d be my last.

“It’s none of your business,” I mutter.

Theo shakes his head. “It became my business after you vented to me over at O'Riley’s and almost cried to Drake. That was a low point for both of us.”

“Wow. Noted. Remind me to never vent to you again.”

Note to self: Don’t go drinking with Theo after one too many unanswered texts from Sarah.

He softens. “I’m just saying... you’re worth more than this, man. You deserve someone who sees the value in you. Fully.”

His words sting more than I want to admit. Because someone else said something similar once—someone who claimed to care about me before stabbing me in the back.

Theo reads the change in my face and sighs, handing me back my phone. I check the time. Still got a bit before I have to be back.

“Thanks,” I mumble, already dialing Sarah’s number as I pass him.

He doesn’t try to stop me this time.

***

“Come on, you have to try it.” She giggles as she brings the spoon to my mouth, teasing me with the bite of tiramisu. I roll my eyes but open up.