"Yeah, he's probably worse. Why the hell are you with this guy?"
"I told you, I like him."
"No, I mean really. He always cancels on you, nobody who knows you likes that you're with him, and he's a waste of your time. What is it? Do you really see boyfriend material when you look at him?"
"I just think he can change if he has the right...encouragement," I said.
"Are you two even exclusive?"
"No, but that's not the point. I don't want to just give up on him. I really feel like he has it in him to be a better guy."
"Honey, he doesn't have anything in him. You're projecting. He won't change, he doesn't care about you half as much as you do about him, and you let him get away with murder. Dump him," she said bluntly.
"The sex is good," I offered weakly.
"I don't believe that. It can't be good enough for you to entertain everything else. You're invested."
"Are you saying all this because you have a replacement for me?" I asked.
"Almost any guy would be a good enough replacement for that asshole." I laughed a little. I could hear what she was saying. If I found it funny when she roasted him, instead of wanted to defend him, yeah, I was thinking the same thing she was.
"Point one out to me. I swear, finding a good guy is fucking impossible."
"They're either taken or gay," Tiffany agreed solemnly.
"Oh, shut up. You have a date every single weekend," I sniped playfully.
"Yeah, but how many guys stick around longer than that?" she challenged.
"Whatever. Don't tie yourself down. You're still young," I said loftily.
"You're older than me by nine months, grandma," she joked.
"Yeah, but I already know what a great relationship feels like. It's hard not to look for that in other guys," I said.
"You and Rome?" she asked.
I nodded. I heard one time that you need half the duration of a relationship to get over it. According to that theory, I wasn't over Roman yet. I needed another six or seven months before I was. I wasn't sure about all that. I felt over it. I hadn't seen him since he had dumped me, and he had made himself pretty clear about what he had wanted then so I hadn't spent a lot of time hanging on to something that wasn't there. I don’t love you anymore; that was what he had said. It had hurt at the time, but what was clearer than that?
"It's a little hard not to compare when I'm with someone new. We were both young and almost three years felt like such a long time."
"Looking for Roman in every guy you meet is a recipe for disaster," she said.
"I know that. I just can't treat it like it didn't happen, like it didn't change all the standards I thought I had for guys before meeting him."
"If it's like that, then why are you still with Sean? Fixer-uppers aren't cute, they're work. They just hold you back while making you put up with their bullshit. The fact that you believe they can change just means they really don't have to. You'll be there for them either way."
"Is this an intervention?"
"Yes," she said confidently, sitting up straighter. "I think you should see other people."
"No," I said quickly.
"Come on, you said he was dating other girls. If you two haven't agreed on being exclusive, then what's the problem?"
"I don't want to juggle a bunch of guys. I'm not built like that."
"Don't give Sean boyfriend privileges when he isn't your boyfriend. Just go out on a date with someone."