Chapter 2: Bros Before Bros

But seeing me just shut down instead of fighting, Natalie only got more upset.

She seemed convinced I was icing her out on purpose. Maybe to ease her own guilt, she started tapping away on her phone, trying to buy me the game as some kind of peace offering.

Is she for real? I wasn’t yelling or accusing her anymore—shouldn’t that be a good thing?

I watched her thumb hovering over the screen, and couldn’t help but say, “I already bought it.”

Natalie’s finger froze mid-tap.

She forced a casual laugh. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? As long as you got it. Is it fun?”

She knew better than anyone how fun it was—the deluxe edition she gifted Derek had been paid for with my own credit card.

I ignored her, shoved the last of my stuff in my suitcase, zipped it, and walked out.

Maybe my sudden coldness spooked Natalie, because after that, she turned almost clingy.

The days I didn’t come home, she started texting me updates, sharing little things about her day, and making sure she was always home on time.

One night, she called to say she’d be having dinner with friends.

My gut reaction was to say no: “Nah, I gotta work late.”

“Until when?”

“Nine o’clock.” I just blurted out a time.

“Then I’ll pick you up at nine.” She hung up before I could argue.

To keep up the lie, I stayed at the office, playing games on my phone until nine rolled around.

When I finally headed outside, there was her car—a pink Tesla, the birthday gift I’d worked overtime to buy her. The bubblegum paint gleamed under the streetlight, and for a second, it stung. That car had been my big gesture.

As soon as she saw me, she ran over and wrapped me in a hug.

But when we walked to the car, I saw Derek in the front passenger seat.

He was leaning out the window, flicking ash from his menthol cigarette. When he spotted me, he grinned, holding out a smoke: “Don’t get the wrong idea, man. We just had dinner. I had a couple drinks, so I’m hitching a ride with you guys.”

The menthol smoke curled between us, sharp and lingering. I shook my head and didn’t take it. He just shrugged, clicked his tongue, and flicked the cigarette away.

Natalie slid into the driver’s seat and buckled up. When I didn’t move, she called out, “We just had a get-together nearby. You didn’t come when I asked. Derek drank a bit and gets carsick in the back.”

I’d argued about this before—her always letting Derek sit up front. She just laughed, calling me childish.

Before I could answer, Derek leaned out again: “Good thing Natalie came to pick you up and didn’t drink, otherwise a Lyft from where we ate would’ve been crazy expensive. Dude, if you don’t believe we were all together, check the group chat—receipts and everything.”

He meant the bros group chat. I wasn’t in it.

“Besides, Natalie wouldn’t just leave me stranded, right?”

He made a show of reaching to sling his arm around her, but halfway there, he stopped, scratching his head like he remembered I existed. “Shoot, almost forgot—Natalie’s got a boyfriend now. Don’t overthink it, man, it’s just habit.”

Ever since our last blowup, Derek had switched from actually touching Natalie to pretending to, always glancing at her for a reaction.

And while Natalie promised she’d keep her distance, she still let him play these games. One text from Derek, and she’d drop everything for a night out.

Derek flashed me a smirk, daring me to react.

If this was before, I’d have lost it. Now? I just couldn’t care.

Even when Natalie hopped out to offer me the driver’s seat, I waved her off.

I opened the back door. “It’s cool, I gotta drop off a coworker anyway. I’ll sit in the back.”

“What coworker?”

Before Natalie could finish, someone called my name.

Natalie spun around, her face going pale.

A woman strode over—a stunner with a pixie cut, long legs, and a tank dress that showed off a killer figure. She jogged up, her bag swinging, and the citrusy snap of her perfume sliced through the humid night air. She caught up, her tone playful.

She pouted, “Jeez, Caleb, you ditch me for five seconds and now I’m lost forever. You owe me pizza.”

She looped her arm through mine, giving me a look. “First day at the company and you’re already leaving me behind. At least make sure I get home in one piece.”