A Casual Stroll Into My Ex (and His Mom) Chapter 1

His mom smiled and said, "You two haven't met yet, have you?"

Met? In private, we used to make out until our lips were bruised.

* * *

I didn't want to move a muscle over winter break, but my mom dragged me out for a walk in my thick sweatpants.

We hadn't walked far when my mom started waving at someone in the distance.

She nudged me. "That's my new coworker, Mrs. Davis."

I squinted. Standing next to Mrs. Davis was a guy with an incredible build and killer fashion sense. Probably her son.

Was my romance-novel-loving heart finally getting its meet-cute?

I poked my mom. "Is her son single? If he is, hook a girl up."

My mom flashed me an "OK" sign and pulled me forward to greet them.

Mrs. Davis was beaming. "Out for a walk too? And this must be your mom?"

I looked left and right, finally realizing the "mom" Mrs. Davis was referring to was me.

My mom's smile froze. "Oh, this is my daughter. She just got back for winter break, so she’s a bit dressed down. Haha."

The guy standing in the shadows wearing a black face mask let out a low chuckle.

I wanted the ground to swallow me whole.

Mrs. Davis, looking equally mortified, quickly changed the subject. "I remember you saying your daughter is at the same college as my son. What year did she graduate?"

"Oh, she graduated last year," my mom replied.

Mrs. Davis pushed the guy behind her forward. "What a coincidence! My son graduated last year too. Do you two know each other?"

I finally looked up.

The streetlight illuminated his sharp, deep-set eyes, the strong bridge of his nose, and the familiar little red mole on his neck...

Holy crap. Is this my ex-boyfriend?

Seeing us lock eyes, Mrs. Davis asked again, "So, do you know each other?"

We answered in unison: "No."

And, as if perfectly choreographed, we both turned our heads away.

But actually, Mrs. Davis, we didn't just know each other. During our junior year of high school, we practically conducted our own anatomy classes together whenever we found an empty classroom.

We were probably the two people who knew each other best in the world. Inside and out.

While our moms chatted enthusiastically, he and I stood off to the side, the atmosphere so cold it could freeze over.

Finally, Liam broke the silence. "Nice outfit. Very... avant-garde."

I stomped on his foot.

He let out a muffled groan. Mrs. Davis turned around. "What's wrong?"

Liam gave a faint smile. "Nothing. A little stray dog walking by just stepped on my foot."

"Oh, as long as you're okay," she said, returning to her conversation.

Liam called out to her, "Mom, we should get a dog. I’ll train it. I'll teach it exactly how to be a good, obedient girl."

He was talking to his mom, but his dark eyes were fixed dead on me.

"I barely have the energy to deal with you, let alone a dog," his mom scoffed. She turned to me, beaming. "Chloe, you two should exchange numbers! You live in the same city now; you can look out for each other."

Liam, with a half-smile, pulled out his phone and opened his contact-sharing screen.

Under the eager gazes of our mothers, I pulled out my phone and reluctantly scanned his screen.

The guy I had blocked years ago reappeared in my messages.

The last texts from our blowout fight were still sitting there.

He had said: "Fine. Walk away then. See if I care."

I had replied: "Watch me. I'll find someone ten times better than you. Go to hell."

A stark contrast to the good-girl image I was currently portraying.

Seeing my mom lean over, I quickly locked my screen and played sweet. "Got it! If I ever need anything, I'll be sure to bother Liam."

He repeated it under his breath. "Bother Liam." He actually laughed, a deep, pleasant sound. "Anytime... Chloe."

The way he said my name—low and clear—was exactly how he used to say it when he pinned me against the back door of our high school classroom, keeping an eye on the broken security camera while he kissed me.

My heart skipped a dangerous beat.