The first thing I did Monday morning was try to send Lauren a video of a dog refusing to get out of a bathtub.

My thumb hovered over her name. The last thing she'd said to me was, We're done.

I closed the app. The dog was still in the bathtub. Somehow that made me cry.

By lunch, I'd found three other things I would normally have sent her. A terrible dress online. A photo of Daniel smiling beside his moving boxes. A message from my mother asking why I wasn't married yet.

Ten years of telling her everything. I hadn't realized how many times a day I did it.

Richard texted that afternoon.

Lauren's staying with Jess for a while. She came by for some clothes while I was out.

I typed I'm sorry, then deleted it. He already knew.

How are you? I asked.

Not great. You?

I just cried over a dog video.

Was it a sad dog?

No. He's having a fantastic day.

Can I see you? Richard asked.

I wanted to see him. I also wanted to undo Saturday.

Not at your house, I wrote.

Wasn't going to suggest it. Coffee tomorrow?

I said yes before I could make another responsible decision.

At the café, Richard looked nervous. I almost laughed.

“You're early,” I told him.

“So are you.”

“I'm trying to establish dominance.”

“It's working,” Richard said, pulling out a chair.

He ordered black coffee. I ordered dessert disguised as coffee.

Then I asked, “Has she answered you?”

Richard looked down at his cup. “One message. She said she needed space.”

“Did she say how much?”

“No.”

“Excellent. A very measurable unit.”

He gave a tired smile.

“I keep thinking about her walking into that room,” I admitted. “I've never seen her look at me like that.”

“Neither have I.”

“Did you know I went over there on purpose?”

Richard looked at me. “I had a pretty good idea.”

“Then why did you let me in?”

“Because I wanted you to come in.”

There it was. No rescue story, no excuse about wine. Just the two of us being idiots.

“You're supposed to be the sensible one,” I said.

“That's what I keep hearing.”

I looked at his hands on the table. I still wanted them near me, which was inconvenient considering everything.

“Saturday wasn't a mistake to me,” I said. “But I don't know what to do with the rest of it.”

Richard nodded. “I don't either. I can't fix what happened with Lauren in a week. Maybe not in a year.”

“That's a terrible sales pitch.”

“I'm out of practice,” he said. He moved his cup aside. “I want to take you to dinner. A real date. Not another surprise visit.”

“After all that?”

“Yes.”

“That's terrible judgment.”

“I'm learning from you.”

I couldn't help smiling. “I'd say yes.”

“Friday, then. Somewhere with chairs that don't hate us.”

I smiled back.

Friday evening, I stood outside the restaurant, wondering whether Lauren knew we were still seeing each other. Whether she'd hate me more when she found out.

Richard came around the corner. He wore a dark jacket and had done something unfairly effective with his hair.

“Are you waiting for someone?” he asked.

“Possibly. He's older. Questionable judgment.”

“Sounds handsome.”

“Decent-looking.”

He laughed, and I remembered the kitchen. The wine. His hand reaching for mine.

Inside, we ate an actual dinner instead of abandoning it for a bedroom. His knee brushed mine under the table. He moved it away; I nudged mine right back. Later, Richard told me about the time Lauren put a frog in his shoe as a child, and I laughed hard enough to spill water on my sleeve.

When we walked out, he stopped by the curb, close enough to touch but not quite doing it.

“Still okay?” Richard asked.

I thought about the missing key on my ring. About Lauren, who wasn't going to be at home when he returned. About how badly I'd wanted to tell her what a good date I'd had.

“No,” I said. “Not all of it.”

Richard nodded.

“But I want to go on another date with you.”

“I was hoping you'd say that.”

I reached for his hand.

Nobody looked twice. I held on anyway.

Natalie didn't get everything she wanted, and maybe that makes the ending more real. Do you think choosing Richard was worth what she lost? I'd love to know whether you were still rooting for them by the end. Leave a heart if this story stayed with you.