Page 155 of A Solid Guide to Surviving a Situationship

“What happened?” I asked. “You okay?”

He took a sip before answering. “Work.”

I nodded. “Yeah, but like… what about it?”

“Deadlines. People not doing what they’re supposed to do. Same thing,” he said, shrugging like it wasn’t worth elaborating on.

I studied him for a moment.

“You wanna talk about it?” I asked, smiling like a wife desperate for his husband’s love. “Maybe it’ll help.”

That was when it shifted.

He set the glass down a little harder than necessary.

“I’m fine, James.”

“I know, I just⁠—”

“I said I’m fine.”

The words weren’t loud, but they closed something.

I swallowed, adjusting slightly. “Okay. I just thought⁠—”

“You don’t have to,” he cut in, already moving away back to the living area. “Really.”

There it was again.

The quiet dismissal.

Like what I was offering didn’t fit anywhere in his world.

I followed him anyway, because that’s what I always did—I stayed.

A loyal dog.

A foolish lover.

“I’m just trying to be here for you,” I said, softer now. Careful.

He let out a small breath, like he was trying not to get annoyed.

“I know,” he said. “But not everything needs to be a conversation. Really.”

That landed—not sharp enough to call out, but just enough to make me feel… unnecessary.

Because honestly, I just wanted me to be his comfort. His rest. His home.

So I nodded slowly. “Right.”

Then he added, almost absentmindedly, “Go do something else.”

I blinked. “Like what?”

“I don’t know,” he said, sitting down the couch, picking up his phone. “Talk to your fans online. Talk to the ones who’s got a crush on you. Whatever.”

Something in me went still.