Page 61 of Side By Side

“Friends? I guess, girlfriends?”

“Oh,” Belle said. “You met, or, at least, saw some of my friends. I mostly hang out with people who come to the Ice Park, guys from the team, their girlfriends and wives, and their kids, too, I guess. It’s kind of like a little family.”

“And girlfriends?”

“I’m single. I told you that.”

“I meant past girlfriends.”

“Exes? I only really have one.”

“Only one?”

Chandler wasn’t sure how it was possible that a person as beautiful, kind, smart, and funny as Belle could only have one girlfriend.

“Yeah, one serious girlfriend, at least.”

“What’s serious in this context?”

“We were together for a little over a year.”

“Oh, wow. A year?”

Belle nodded.

“What happened?”

“We just broke up. No big lesbian drama, if that’s what you’re asking. We met when she was on summer break from college. She was twenty-three and in grad school. I was twenty-two. It was good for the first three months. She went back to school a few hours away. We did the distance thing, and she came back on breaks. I visited when I could. She came home for the summer. We stayed together until she had to go back for her last year.”

“Was it the distance?”

“That was part of it, but she wanted to stay in the city where her school was. I didn’t want to move. I had a life, and she didn’t want to be a part of it in the end, but I didn’t want to be part of hers, either. Just different plans for our lives, so we ended it. It was on good terms. I guess I’ve dated a little here and there, but not much other than that. What about you?”

“Me?” Chandler asked, nearly choking on the doughnut she’d just taken a bite of.

“Yeah, you. You said you were single before, but what about exes?”

Chandler swallowed and took a drink of her coffee to stall.

“I don’t have any,” she said finally.

“What?” Belle asked.

“Yeah, no story there. Just don’t have any exes.”

“You haven’t dated anyone? Ever? Wait. Are you…”

“A virgin? God, no, Belle.”

“What? There’s nothing wrong with it. You can wait as long as you want to do that with someone. I was twenty-two.”

“It was with her?”

Belle nodded and said, “I wanted to be in love with someone before I did that.”

“You were with her?”

“Sure. First love, but it was real. We were together for over a year. If I didn’t love her, I wouldn’t have stayed with her that long. But we’re talking about you now, little miss queen of diversions.”