The Love Wager by Lynn Painter

            She lifted her glass of wine and nodded. “We have earned it.”





Jack


            “Can I get another water, please?”

            Jack slid his empty glass toward the bartender as he tried getting his shit together. After downing a whiskey while watching Hallie smile at Alex, he decided he’d better switch to water before he ended up dying of alcohol poisoning.

            But what in the actual fuck?

            First of all, how the hell did she look so beautiful and so fucking happy? He’d imagined, like him, she was struggling to move on without their friendship. He’d imagined that she missed him at least a fraction of the amount he was missing her.

            But she looked like everything was perfect.

            He hadn’t planned a date for that night, because what was the point of dragging some nice person along when all he was interested in was Hallie? But he’d expected her to be with some rando, not Alex.

            And he definitely hadn’t expected them to be fawning all over each other like they were having the best time. He kept sitting there, pounding water and waiting for her to look like she might want to bail, but the sound of her laughter kept slicing through him like a fucking machete.

            He pulled out his phone and was about to text her when she lost it. She started cracking up at something the guy said, with that same contagious belly laugh that she’d laughed in their hotel room bathroom when she tried to gargle, and Jack was done.

            He was out.

            He laid a couple of bills on the bar, stood, and left.





Hallie


            He’s leaving?

            Hallie jumped up, her chair squeaking on the floor as she stood. Her eyes landed on Alex, and he gestured for her to go. She started toward the door, having no idea what she was going to say, but how could he just bail on her?

            She pushed the door and went outside, the rain immediately pouring down on her. She looked to her left and saw the back of his sweater as he walked away.

            “Wait!” Hallie started running as she yelled, “Jack!”

            He stopped and turned, his hair already soaked.

            “Where do you think you’re going?” she yelled, finally stopping when she was a foot away from him. “You’re just bailing?”

            His eyebrows went down as the heavy rain drenched the two of them. “You didn’t look like you needed my help.”

            “You were the one who said you wanted to do this—you called me—yet you’re ditching me. Again. What is wrong with you?”

            “What’s wrong with me?” He squinted at her like she was out of her mind and said, “You failed to mention that your date tonight was with Alex. Why would you let me meet you at the bar just to watch you have a fucking love connection?”

            “Are you mad?” He was the one who was out of his mind, she thought. “At me?”

            “Yes, I’m mad!” he yelled. “I thought we were going to talk about us, but instead you’re canoodling with that guy right in front of me!”

            “What ‘us’?” She poked a finger into his chest and said, “What us is there? I haven’t heard from you in weeks, and now you think you have a right to say the word ‘us’?”

            “Hallie—”

            “Why didn’t you at least text me?” She hated the tears in her eyes. “After that night, why wouldn’t you at least send me a text to say ‘Hey’ or ‘I hate you’ or ‘Ramen is on sale at the fucking supermarket’? Anything would’ve felt at least like something between us. How could you just leave me all alone?”

            “I was trying to figure out my feelings, Hal.” He pushed back his wet hair before adding, “I wanted to be sure of what I felt before talking to you about how you felt.”

            “What does that even mean?”

            “Do you want Alex?” he yelled down at her through the rain.

            “Jack—”