“I’m actually new to town,” I say, still staring at her face. “You know what it is,” I laugh. “I think I saw you on Facebook. I think you used to date a friend of mine.”

So far none of this is a lie, I tell myself. Well, except for the friend part.

Her face breaks out in a shocked laugh. “Oh God, which one?”

“Rafe Nolan,” I say carefully. It feels like an explosive device, like his name alone can detonate and ruin all the joy and happiness in this room.

Her smile fades and she plants her elbows on the bar across from me. “Oh, Rafe,” she sighs. “Jesus, I haven’t thought of him in years. How is he?”

I see the searching expression on her face, like she’s scanning her memory, untapping old moments in time that she locked up a long time ago. I’m almost sorry about it.

“Ah, you know...same old Rafe,” I say with an easy, laidback tone.

She lets out an uncomfortable laugh. “How do you know him?”

“We graduated high school together, actually. Now we’re neighbors.” Still not a lie.

“Oh wow. Yeah...Rafe…” she heaves a long sigh just saying his name. Goddamn, what did he do to her? “That was a long time ago.”

Just when I finish my drink, she gestures to it and I nod, placing my empty glass on the rubber mat at the edge of the bar. When she walks back with a fresh drink, she eyes me skeptically for a moment, and I’m afraid she’s caught me, like she could somehow tell I’m actually spying on my worst enemy instead of chatting about a mutual friend.

“You didn’t date him, did you?” she asks.

“Oh,” I say with shock on my face. “No. We were just friends, but I know how Rafe is...he’s a little…”

I let my words trail, hoping she’ll finish it for me. After a long, agonizing moment she leans in and says, “Intense?”

“Yes!” I blurt out. The vodka is hitting me, and I’m feeling loose, relaxed. “Intense is right.”

She laughs, and once again, I’m admiring her easy-going nature. I hate that I’m using her when I’d like to actually get to know her. Maybe come in here every Thursday, build a relationship until we start catching movies or hanging out together.

Goddamn. It’s obvious I really need to start socializing more. I need to make actual friends or I’m going to end up like the asshole next door.

“Well, intense could be a good thing, right?” I ask with a wink, my drink straw held between my lips.

Laini laughs again. “Girl, there is such a thing as too intense. The thing about Rafe was, and I’m sure you know this about him, he was dealing with so much emotional baggage that he just wouldn’t unpack so he was walking around like a ticking time bomb.”

A hesitant chuckle escapes my lips. It’s unnerving to hear a complete stranger talking about someone I used to know so well. “You hit the nail on the head there.” Then, I lean in, as if the few other drunk older men in the bar give half a shit what we’re talking about. “I was always curious about him...what he’s like, you know, in that aspect.”