Megan breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed her old self again: grounded, pleasant and trouble-free.
Before heading out that night, Megan showered and changed into what she considered to be one of her sexiest outfits. She wore a purple velvet top and a pair of tight black pants. Combined with heels and the way she did her hair, even if Ted DIDN’T want to get back together, he’d probably change his mind once he saw her. She drew strange glances from her parents and a compliment from her sister as she glided out the door en route to her rendezvous.
Ted was shocked to say the least. He had on only jeans and a gray knit shirt with his college’s name whereas Megan looked ready to go clubbing. He felt almost embarrassed as he led her to the ‘lounge’ in his basement and offered her a drink. As he fetched her a ginger ale, she admired the way his butt looked in those jeans and smiled. She had him right where she wanted him and unless he said something profoundly stupid, she was more than willing to forgive and forget.
He returned with her drink and they sat on the couch and talked. Mindful of what she was doing, Megan moved closer to him an inch at a time. He did not push her away, but he made no effort to return the favor. Most of what they talked about had little to do with their relationship and Megan found herself lying on more than one occasion. She neglected to tell him about her bedwetting, for instance, but reasoned that such an omission was harmless. If she had been with someone else (which, thankfully, she hadn’t), she would have told him.
Megan liked being with Ted. She liked how he made her laugh and how he made her feel more than just average. She liked him enough to forgive him and enough to realize that he had been right: distance put too much of a strain on their relationship. Even if they only spent the rest of the summer together, she felt she could be happy with that. As she sat with her head on his shoulder and her hands on his strong, muscular legs she began to let go all the demons of worriment that had been visited upon her this past week. She also began to notice that he was not touching her.
Ted sighed and gently removed her hands from his body. His face was contorted with conflict as he broke the news. “Megan,” he began. “I started seeing someone else.”
Someone else? Alarm bells went off inside Megan’s head and she thought she would flip out again. However, she made that mistake once and knew she didn’t want to lose him forever. She forced herself be calm. She even managed a smile.
“Oh. OK. I mean…that’s great. Who is it?”
“You don’t know her,” Ted explained. “I met her at college.”
“Was she….”
He rolled his eyes. “No, I didn’t cheat on you with her. That girl was a total whore. Anna is special.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet.”
He gently touched her chin. “But, so are you. Which is why I want us to still be friends.”
Megan shrugged. She had psyched herself out to the point where she didn’t feel anything anymore. “OK.”
“You’re sure? Last time I mentioned this, I flipped out.”
“Actually,” she lied. “This works out great. Because I have my eye on someone else too.”
“Yeah? Who?”
She hadn’t time to fabricate anyone on the spur of a moment, so she offered the name of the first guy who came to mind. “Josh,” she declared.
Ted chuckled. “Josh? Josh from the pharmacy?”
“Yup.”
“You know I don’t like to judge people, but that guy is a dork.”
“You don’t know him,” she argued, mentally kicking herself for picking Josh of all people.
“Well, I’m glad we’re still friends. Chicks are a mystery to me and it helps to have one on my side.”
Megan nodded. After days of grieving and torment, how come she was able to let this go so easily? She stayed awhile longer and they talked some more. He did give her a kiss goodnight just before she left, but it was quick and emotionless.

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