My Best Friend Stole Him. So I Stole Better. Chapter 03
I pulled up the Reddit post again.
It had gotten even more traction, but the image had been deleted. Only Sienna’s throwaway account remained, going back and forth with commenters.
“How am I not considering her feelings? When we first got together, I was afraid it would hurt her, so I didn’t say anything. Do you know how exhausting it’s been to keep this up?”
“Watching her chase my boyfriend—do you think that hasn’t been torture for me? But don’t worry, my boyfriend loves me. He’d never let anything happen with her.”
“Today she asked my boyfriend out and got stood up. I bet she’s not thrilled. But he was actually with me the whole time. He didn’t want me to be upset, so he took me to a concert at Lincoln Center. How could I not love a man like that?”
…
She’d written a lot. I read every word.
Sienna clearly assumed I wouldn’t get angry with her. No matter what commenters threw at her, she fired back.
I started to doubt myself.
What made her so sure I’d sit down and take this?
Not long after, a message from Julian.
“Something came up. Couldn’t make it. Summer, let’s reschedule.”
Nausea rose in my throat.
Actual, physical nausea.
I first noticed him during a shoot for the campus photography club. One glance at that handsome boy and I was sold.
He’d been feeding a stray cat—so gently, so patiently. My gut said: someone like that couldn’t be bad.
The more time I spent around him, the more I fell. There was no room in my line of sight for any other guy. When people confessed to me, I told them, plain and simple, that I already had someone I loved.
But now I understood. He’d played me for three years.
He didn’t love me. He wouldn’t refuse me. He’d carve out time here and there just to keep me stringing along.
“Don’t bother.”
I blocked him.
I opened my chat with Ethan.
“Julian just messaged me. He hasn’t said a word about him and Sienna. Even his excuse for standing me up was garbage. I don’t want anything more to do with him.”
Ethan replied almost instantly.
“Same with Sienna. I asked her to a movie tonight. Made sure she was free. She said yes—then ran off to a concert with Julian. I honestly can’t believe what kind of person I’ve been in love with these past few years.”
“Fragility my ass. I’M the one about to fall apart!”
I nearly laughed out loud.
Nothing softened misery like knowing someone else was drowning alongside you.
He sent a few screenshots from Sienna’s throwaway account.
Back when Ethan was chasing her, Sienna always turned him down with “family reasons.”
We’d all felt for her. Ethan had done everything to make things easier for her.
And now here she was, dating someone else—posting photos of home-cooked meals she’d made for Julian.
I stared at the picture of lemon herb roasted chicken and felt lightheaded.
I’d once told Sienna about Julian’s taste in food, including his favorite comfort dish—his mother’s lemon herb roasted chicken.
“By the way, I already made a reservation at that restaurant tomorrow. Pricey place. Can’t just let it go to waste… want to go together?”
“Sure.”