Page 68 of If We Say Goodbye

Caleb peers over his menu. “Have you been here before?”

I nod, still invested in the math book, trying to figure out the best way to explain the next problem when she gets back. “Sadie and I were joined at the hip growing up, and her parents own this place.”

“So I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You’d be right.”

“So what do you like here?”

“Easy,” I reach over and point to the best clam chowder in the state. “But be warned. Once you try it here, you’ll never be able to order it anywhere else. It’s amazing, and it’ll ruin you for life.”

“Is it really that good?”

“It’s my favorite thing here,” I say.

“Okay, I trust you.”

I can feel his gaze on me. It’s heavy, and I don’t dare look up because I’m afraid I’ll blush if we lock eyes.

“Why don’t you do more with Sadie? She used to be at your house all the time, right?”

“We haven’t done much since Ethan,” I whisper. My stomach churns just saying the words.

“I forgot they dated,” he says.

I nod, wrapping my arms around my middle. My head starts to spin as I picture Ethan laughing and teasing Sadie and me. Even after they started dating, I was never left out. My eyes sting, and I blink the tears away.

“Bec, look at me,” Caleb says. His voice is soothing, pulling me out of my thoughts. I settle on his dark brown eyes and his soft expression. “We don’t have to talk about this right now,” he continues. “Why don’t we talk about something else?”

“Okay.” I take a deep breath.

He scans the room before picking up the bottle of ketchup on the table. “Did you know at one point in time ketchup was sold as medicine?”

I half laugh, half choke. “Are you serious?”

“It’s true. I read it online, and you know what they say—the internet never lies.”

My brow furrows, and I break into laughter. “This is your plan to cheer me up?”

He smiles. “Is it working?”

I shy away, turning my head to hide my tiny smile.

Sadie slides back into the booth. “What’s so funny?”

“Ketchup,” Caleb says.

I giggle.

Igiggle.Ugh.

“Ketchup?” Sadie asks. She looks between Caleb and me again, clearly forming assumptions in her head. “So, Caleb, who are you taking to the winter formal?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Well, I mean I asked Bec but—”

“What?” Sadie slams her hands down on the table. She turns to me, grabbing my shoulders. “He asked you to the dance, and you didn’t tell me?”

My jaw drops. “I said no.”