"I'm not sure, but I wanna do this."

Theo's POV

It's my first time alone with Grace since I broke up with her. The air between us feels heavy with unsaid words and unspoken emotions. I clear my throat, attempting to break the awkward silence that hangs in the air.

"So... how are you settling in at the apartment?" I finally muster the courage to ask, my voice sounding shaky to my own ears.

She looks up at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and something I can't quite decipher. Grace gives me a quick half-smile, her green eyes bright and alert. I feel a twinge of something as I realise I can still appreciate her beauty.

"I know you miss me," she teases, her smile widening, and her dimples showing.

I can't help but grin in response. Her dimples have always had a way of making her seem a lot younger than she really is. I take a moment to fully look at her—her long brown hair is shiny and wavy, and it looks good. She's always looked amazing.

"That was a joke. You can smile again; it was a joke," she reassures me.

But I can't keep up the charade any longer. I need to say what's been on my mind since I saw her again.

"I feel like you still love me, and I love you. I love you, Grace. You know that. I love you, and you're a great girl, and we just need to be together."

I don't even realise what I've said until the words have left my mouth. It's like the words formed themselves and then they just flew out of my mouth. I look at her, and I can see her surprise in her expression.

"I've moved on, Theo. And you should too. If you're looking for some comfort, some closure, I get it. But if you're here looking to get back together, it's not gonna happen," she says firmly.

Her words hit me like a blow to the gut. It was one thing when she was telling me to leave her alone, but this is completely different.

"You can't do that! You can't just end it. We were happy, Grace."

"And you left me for Melanie. What kind of bullshit was that? Do you think I would ever be okay with you going with her? I mean, if I wanted to be a part of a threesome, I would have stayed in the apartment, but no. I left. Because you you two wanted to be together. So don't you dare try and tell me what I can and can't do. You made your bed, Theo, and now you have to lay in it. Without me."

She's angry. I've never seen her like this. She's not yelling, but her words are biting, and her tone is harsh. I can't believe she's talking to me like this. I thought she would at least hear me out.

"Grace, please..."

"No, Theo. It's over. We're done."

She turns away from me and starts to walk away.

"Grace!"

"Leave me alone, Theo. Just... go."

I stand there, rooted to the spot, staring at her back as she walks away from me. My heart is breaking, and all I want to do is hold her and tell her how sorry I am. But I can't. I let her go, just like I did before, and it feels like history repeating itself all over again.

———————————————————————————

Grace's POV

I walked out and called Bea from my cell phone. "Can you talk?"

"Yes. What's up? How did the convo with Theo go?"

"Fine, I basically told him I've moved on, and I think he understands."

"Oh my. This is progress. You guys are friends. So now you've just gotta get your man."

"Yeah."

"So how are we going to do this?"

"I'm going to go out with him and Melanie. He'll see me get a man, and he will be jealous."

"What makes you think he would be jealous? I thought you said you were moving on."

"I am, but... you know what, let's do it. You and Mel are gonna come out to the club, and I will pick you up. It's about time anyway."

"I can't wait. Let's go out!"

"Let me call Mel. I will call you back."

"Ok."

"Bye."

"Bye."

It was a Saturday night, and I wanted to take advantage of it. I decided that we were going to go to this new club downtown. I haven't been out since I've moved here. I wanted to see what was going on and have a good time with my girls.

I called Mel, and she agreed to meet us out. I had a great day. It was about nine when I pulled up to pick the girls up. Theo gave me a dirty look when I came into the apartment to leave. I just gave him a small smile.

The girls came downstairs looking fine. They had their hair and nails done, and they both looked amazing.

"Hey," I greeted them.

Theo and Josh asked if they could join us. We all got into the car and headed toward downtown. When we got there, the parking lot was packed. It was definitely a hotspot.

I parked the car, and we made our way inside. Theo stopped me while everyone went ahead.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well, for one, you don't really hang out with anyone besides me."

"That's because we used to spend a lot of time together, so I don't have time to hang out with other people. But tonight I'm gonna be talking to everyone; I'm not planning on going home lonely. If you know what I mean." I gave him a small smirk.

"Whatever."

We entered the club, and the place was packed. The DJ was good, and everyone was on the dance floor. I looked for my girls and spotted them on the other side of the room. I went over to them, and Theo stayed close behind me.

"What took you guys so long?" Bea asked.

"Well, you know. I had to tell him I would be leaving and everything."

"Uh-huh." Mel said.

I saw some guys walking up to the group, and I knew they were trying to hook up.

"Hey, my name is Jason."

"Hello." I replied.

"Wanna dance?" He asked.

"Sure." I said with a smile.

Theo just stood there with his mouth open. The music was bumping, and Jason started grinding on me. I didn't care; I was enjoying myself. He was very good looking, and I didn't mind dancing with him. I didn't pay attention to the guys as I was too busy with the music. I was getting turned on by his grinding, and I wanted to go sit down. I stopped dancing and turned to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just hot and thirsty. Wanna get a drink?"

"Sure."

He took my hand and led me to the bar. I grabbed a seat, and he sat down beside me.

"What would you like?"

"I'll have a shot of Patron."

"Sure."

I looked around for the gang, but I couldn't find them. I thought they would've sat with me, but then again, they are having fun. I don't blame them; I am too.

"Here you go."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Are you having a good time?"

"Yes, thanks for asking."

"Where are you from?"

"You're hot." I blurted.

"Um, thank you."

"Sorry, I mean, I'm from the apartments down the street. You?"

"No problem. I live on the other side of the city."

"I see."

"I like the place, but the neighborhood could be a bit better. The crime rate has increased, and the people have changed. I'm thinking of moving."

"Where would you move to?"

"I'm not sure. I'll figure something out. Do you live alone?"

"Nope. I live with roommates; I'm not planning on going home lonely."

"I bet you don't."

I didn't like his response, but he didn't seem to have bad intentions. I was about to say something when he interrupted me.

"Hey, do you wanna go out sometime?"

"Umm. Sure. Why not."

"Can I get your number?"

"Yeah. I'll write it on the napkin."

I wrote my number on a napkin and handed it to him.

"What's your name?"

"My name is Grace."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too."

He took my hand and placed a kiss on it.

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No,"

"Well you're about to be my girlfriend. Just give me a chance, and you won't regret it. I know we just met, but I know I would treat you right." He was confident.

"I'm sure you will. I think I should go find my friends."

"Ok. Call me."

"I will."

I went looking for the girls. I spotted them in the corner and joined them.

"Hey, girl. Where have you been?

———————————————————————————

Theo's POV

Seeing her dance with another boy makes me feel sad. She's walking towards our table, and I say, "Grace, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Excuse me, I don't belong to you; I do what I want."

Then Melanie chimes in, "Babe, you have me, remember? I'm your girlfriend."

Grace turns to her and says, "That didn't seem to bother Theo last night when he told me he loved me."

"You bitch, that was a one-time thing, and I wasn't thinking straight."

Bea starts shouting, "Everyone shut up. Me and Josh are leaving; you have ruined all the fun, and now it just stinks. You can stay here and fight, but me and Josh are going for a walk."

Melanie says, "Babe, let's go too. I can't deal with this. It should be a good night, and yet look what Grace has done. We should be having a good time and enjoying the evening, but because of her, we are all falling out. This is bullshit, and I can't even be bothered with her and her stupid behavior. She is not even worth it, so come on, let's leave."

I look at her and say, "No, you go. You have just insulted my friend, and then you want to act like my girlfriend again. How the hell can we do that? You need to sort your attitude out and stop trying to have a go at her; she is doing nothing wrong."

"Theo. What the hell!"

"Melanie, just go. I'm gonna make sure Grace gets home safely. You should have thought about your actions before you acted on them."

She walks away, and Bea looks at me, she says, "Well, I never saw that coming."

Now it's just me and Grace. She comes over and says, "What now? I don't want to go back to the apartment; I'm gonna have to see her, and I'm not in the mood. I've had enough, and I can't cope with the way she treats me. She doesn't love me or care about my feelings; she is so selfish. I have no energy left for her; she just wears me down."

"Come on, let's get out of here; we can go to mine."

"Oh, sorry, I promised this boy that I would talk to him and bring him home. I said I would message him when I left."

"Oh, okay, come on, let's go. I'll drop you off. I hope that's okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I would have preferred it if you took me home with you, but I need to be responsible and sort my life out. I need a new man."

We both get into the car, and I drive her home. When we get there, she opens the door and says, "Theo, I'm gonna go inside. But are we over now?"

"I'm not sure, but I wanna do this." I kiss her.

"Ugh. Theo, please, not going down that road again," She giggles and leaves.

I text her: 'Hey, just wanted to let you know that you can text me if you need anything, anytime.'

She replies: 'Thank you, goodnight.'