Unspoken Rules (Rules 2)

She clears her throat. “Table for two?”

Haze nods.

At around the same time, an older man wearing a badge that says “Manager” joins her and grabs something at the front desk.

“Don’t forget to tell them about the promotion, Rita,” he says and quickly disappears back to wherever he came from.

“Are you a couple?” Rita forces a smile.

Man, can this get more awkward?

Haze turns his head to look at me and smiles. “Yes.”

My heart sings in happiness.

She says something about our drinks and any extras being free, but I stop listening halfway. I find a hint of humor in the fact that this complete stranger somehow witnessed key moments of our relationship without even knowing it.

She leads us to our table, but what I see when I turn the corner freezes me in place.

Ryder.

Sitting at a table with a girl.

But seeing him isn’t even what sets me off. It’s what I hear him say to the tall and gorgeous girl that triggers me.

“You deserve so much better than him. He’s a jerk if he doesn’t see the great girl that’s right in front of him.”

No way.

The pained features the girl displayed vanish, and she gives him a faint smile.

“Listen, I’m in town visiting my grandparents, and I just happen to have two passes for the fair. Would you be interested in joining me?”

Oh, this is going to be good.

My hand abandons Haze’s, and he stops walking. He sees what I’m looking at and clenches his fists. He wants to go over there. I place a gentle hand on his chest to stop him.

“It’s fine. I’ve got this,” I say, and he nods faintly.

I take all the nonexistent courage I have and walk toward Ryder’s table. His new conquest sees me coming. He has no idea that I’m about to destroy his miserable attempt at picking up sad girls.

“Really?” I intentionally raise my voice to get the attention of the people around us. Heads quickly turn. “This is what you do to me? After everything that we’ve been through? You cheat on me. Is this all five years is worth to you?”

The seductive smirk is washed off his face.

“What about the baby?”

His jaw hangs, and a wave of gasps runs around the room.

Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh.

“She’s crazy. I only went out with her once, I swear,” he stutters, and I see Haze pressing his clenched fist to his mouth to stop himself from bursting out into laughter.

“Let me guess, he r

andomly sat with you, offered to buy you breakfast, then told you that he had two free passes to the fair? That’s how it all started for me, too. I did everything for you. Do you still have self-esteem issues? Is that why you’re doing this? I told you size does not matter.”

The second round of gasps hits us, and it hurts not to laugh. Every eye in the restaurant, without exception, is on us. The brunette’s face twitches in disgust, and she gets up, grabbing her glass of water and throwing its content in Ryder’s face. She walks away, rushing out of the restaurant while Ryder just sits there, soaked, with his mouth wide open. I smile widely and walk back to Haze, who can barely breathe as he howls with laughter. That’s when we see the owner, Rita’s father, speed walking toward us. Haze and I exchange glances.