The Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone, #2)

by Abby Jimenez

Sloan: I haven’t painted my own works since my fiancé died two years ago. The dots started to jump. Then they stopped. Then they started again. Jason: I’m sorry to hear that. There was a pause between texts while he typed again. Jason: Sometimes the hardest place to live is the one in-between.

“I pushed a small human out of this body. My vagina is destroyed. I have to live vicariously through your vagina.”

“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked. I smiled. “You want to see me again?” “I don’t even want to drop you off at home tonight.”

I’d chosen this life. And I’d had enough. I was going to make a concerted effort to get out of this in-between I was trapped in. I was going to actively pursue joy.

Her eyes went soft. “Good. Keep doing it. And fall for him. And when you do, make sure you swing from every fucking branch on the way down.”

“Thank you for understanding.” He shook his head. “You’re worth the wait. You’re worth everything.”

“It’s just how I feel. I’m yours. All of me. I think I always belonged to you. Even when you belonged to someone else.”

I wanted to fall asleep in his arms tonight and every night from now on.

I was strong—heartbroken, but stronger than I’d ever given myself credit for. Especially under the circumstances.

Nobody would ever love her like I would. She would never find the same devotion, even if she looked for a lifetime. I knew that with every cell of my being. She’d never know about it, but it would always be there.

Sometimes the hardest place to live is the one in-between. And sometimes in-between is all you’ll ever get.

“You think you know what love looks like. You think the fairy tales and the romantic movies prepare you. And then you finally, really truly find it and you realize you never knew a thing about it until her.”