He Said Someone Like Him Would Never Date Me — So I Made Sure He Never Would

checking my lipstick twice. There was this soft hope in my stomach that I didn’t admit out loud—that maybe tonight would feel like the early days again, when he couldn’t stop looking at me, when he actually reached for my hand in public.

When I walked out of my apartment building, Derek was leaning against his car like he was posing for a photo, hands continue reading …