I hum my agreement.
“I’d rather be the bad guy and starting over by myself than live a life where I’m just a zombie going through the motions,pretending to be happy just to keep everyone else happy. What kind of lesson is that for my kid?”
“I think it’s a tough situation either way, honestly—moms sometimes have a hard time doing what’s right for them, whether that’s sticking around or deciding to leave. I think it’s better for your kid to grow up seeing their mom happy than to know you’re suffering in silence. And—” I give Lex an approving smile “—I think it was really brave of you to leave. Not everyone has the means or the opportunity to do what you did, and I’m proud of you for making that tough choice.”
Lex slows to a stop. I pause, too, Winston tugging on his leash. Lex regards me with a stony expression and I second-guess my words, worried I said the wrong thing.
Finally, she says, “Thank you. No one’s ever said that to me before.”
I release a relieved exhale, then reach out with my free hand and take hers in mine, giving it a squeeze. “I mean it.” A tiny smile meets her face as she squeezes my hand back, and a flutter echoes through my chest at the contact. But before I can decipher it, it’s over—Lex releases my hand and we continue our walk.
“What about you?” she asks as we round the final corner back toward my home.
“Me? I’ve never been divorced.”
“No.” She laughs. “Was your high school experience as shitty as mine?”
A cloud passes over me, recalling all the drama: girls who were supposed to be friends tittering about one another behind their back, alliances shifting faster than their hormones, and one particularly cruel rumour being spread about blow jobs in the boys’ change room.
My cheeks warm as my gut twists. “Yeah. Bullying affected me quite a bit.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lex says, her voice soft. “Girls can be so cruel.”
“Yes,” I agree, speaking from experience. “They can.”
After a few moments Lex asks, “So what was your longest relationship, then?”
I’m relieved the conversation is shifting, even though my admission is embarrassing. “It’s pretty rare that I get past the second date.”
“What!” Lex doesn’t even try to hide the surprise in her voice.
“The curse is a real cock block. It’s kind of hard to get anyone to go on a second date with you after giving them a skin burn on their dick from trying a new double-hand twist hand-job technique you saw in a porno,” I joke.
A smile lights up Lex’s face. Are those...dimples?! No fucking way she’s been hiding dimples from me this whole time! Encouraged, I continue with the self-deprecating anecdotes. “Getting a second date is also out of the question when the guy has a creepy ventriloquist dummy collection that stares right into your soul while you’re getting laid.”
Lex chuckles, shaking her head.
“And second dates aren’t recommended after his dog tries to join in and the guy refuses to make it leave, even after it starts licking your butt cheek.”
“Oh god, ew.” Lex cringes as she laughs. “Okay, those are all good reasons to not go on second dates.”
“Ha, see? I’m cursed! Boom. Science.” I pretend to drop a mic.
“Unfortunately,” she says, “anecdotes are not a scientifically valid form of evidence.”
I groan in frustration. “You witnessed it first-hand! Well, listened to most of it. But still, you can’t deny what happened with that Tall & Buff guy.”
Lex grimaces. “I didn’t see anything awkward so much as dangerous.”
“Come on, now. ALaw & Ordershow in the background for a make-out session?”
Lex pauses our walk, grabbing my elbow. “I’m serious. Do you always go home with guys you don’t know?”
“Hey now, let’s not be judgmental,” I tut.
Lex lifts her palms. “No judgment for hookups. But yes, judgment for putting yourself in danger.”
“Any woman who goes on a date with a man is putting herself in danger,” I retort. “Men are women’s only natural predator.”