Exes and O's (The Influencer #2)

by Amy Lea

Boston subway commuters may not be as ferocious as grocery store grannies, but they’ll trample you for an open seat all the same. I have a grotesque scar on my left shin to prove it.

A blue, pre-sunrise glow peeks through the blinds, which tells me it’s one hour too early for consciousness

Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday.

If I’m being honest with myself, I’m sick of being single. And if my time as a singleton has taught me anything, it’s that just because I don’t need someone in my life doesn’t mean I don’t want one.

“Didn’t you say you’re always the dumpee? If all these guys broke up with you, why would you want to get back with them?” “Because they were all great people. And I can only assume time and maturity have made them even better. They all have soul mate potential. Most of them, anyway.” At least I think so, if my memory serves me correctly.

He clears his throat and takes half a step back. “It’s just . . . They’re exes for a reason. Aren’t they?” I think about Trevor’s words for the first half of my day shift. People love to say exes are exes for a reason, so they don’t have to dwell on the past. But personally, I’ve always thought second-chance love stories were the most satisfying of them all.

Dumb.

“He wanted to travel the globe after college before settling down. He wanted me to go with him, and I didn’t.” “Really? Why?” “I’m not great with unfamiliar places. Plane crash movies traumatized me,” I explain. “Airports freak me out too.