Page 111 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “God! This is so embarrassing.”

“I’m not judging,” he said quickly. “I just… didn’t expect you to spiral over someone like that.”

That stung a little—not because it was mean, but because it was true.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like that,” I said, looking up again.

Rick didn’t interrupt.

“It was only three months,” I added, almost like I was trying to convince myself. “Three months, and somehow it felt worse.”

The words slipped out before I could soften it.

Rick didn’t react negatively. If anything, he just listened more carefully.

“That’s why it doesn’t make sense,” I continued. “I know it doesn’t make sense. Spiral over a three-month situationship? That’s stupid.”

I let out a frustrated breath.

“He wasn’t even consistent. Half the time I didn’t know where I stood. One day he’d love-bomb me, and the next it was like I didn’t exist.”

Rick’s expression shifted slightly.

Still, not judgment.

“And yet,” I added, shaking my head, “I still stayed. Stayed even now that the other person had already pushed me away.”

Rick leaned back slightly, studying me.

“That’s the difference,” he said.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He took a second, choosing his words carefully. “With us, you always knew where you stood. And even when things got bad, you were never guessing how I felt about you.”

That landed.

Because it was true.

“We hurt each other,” he admitted. “But it was never confusing.”

Shit.

“You didn’t have to earn my attention,” Rick added. “Or question if I cared. You knew.”

Something pricked in my chest—might have been a skipped heartbeat or bruised ego.

“Love isn’t supposed to feel like that, James,” he continued. “It’s not supposed to make you question yourself all the time. With the right person, you don’t need to feel anxious all the time… you feel safe.”

That word.

Safe.

It sat differently than everything else.

That made it hit harder.

I didn’t respond right away, because for the first time, I wasn’t trying to defend anything.