"You're the right choice." "After Derek rejected you by sleeping with your sister." "That's not why I'm here." "Then why are you here?"
"Because I love you. Because I realized what we had was special." "What we had was special. Past tense. You threw it away for your high school ex."
"I can't change what I did, but I can try to make it right." "How?" "We can start over, take it slow, rebuild what we had."
I looked at the woman standing on my doorstep. Six months ago, she couldn't say no to her first love. Now she was begging me to take her back because that first love had cheated on her with her sister. "Chloe, what makes you think I'd want to restart anything with you?"
"Because we were good together. Because you loved me." "I did love you. Then you left me for Derek." "I made a mistake."
"You made a choice. Derek over me, excitement over stability, first love over real love." "It wasn't like that."
"It was exactly like that. You said you couldn't say no to him. You said you might be in love with him. You chose to explore that instead of marrying me." "I was confused."
"You weren't confused. You were selfish. You wanted to keep me as backup while you tested the waters with Derek." "That's not true." "Then why didn't you break up with me before exploring things with Derek?"
She couldn't answer that. "Well, Chloe, you tried to have both. When I forced you to choose, you chose Derek. Now Derek has shown you who he really is, and you want your backup plan back." "You're not a backup plan."
"I'm exactly a backup plan. Derek was your first choice until he proved he's garbage. Now you want the safe option you threw away." "Jake, please. I know I hurt you, but people make mistakes."
"Some mistakes show who you really are. You showed me that when things got complicated, you'd run to your ex instead of working on our relationship." "I've changed."
"Have you? What happens when the next Derek shows up? When the next first love reaches out?" "There won't be a next Derek."
"There's always a next Derek. Another ex, another exciting option, another test of whether you can say no." "I would never do this again." "You said you couldn't say no to Derek. That suggests a pattern."
"That was specific to Derek." "Was it? Or do you just get weak when someone from your past wants attention?"
She was crying harder now. "Jake, I'm begging you. Give me another chance."
"I gave you a chance. Four years and an engagement ring. You traded it for six months with Derek." "It was a mistake." "It was a choice, and choices have consequences."
"So that's it? You won't even consider it?" "Consider what? Dating someone who left me for her ex and only came back when he cheated on her with her sister?" "When you put it like that..."
"That's exactly what happened. You chose Derek over our wedding. Derek chose your sister over you. Now you want me to choose you over my self-respect." "It's not about self-respect."
"It's entirely about self-respect. What kind of man takes back a woman who left him for her high school ex?" "A forgiving man." "A foolish man."
I stepped back toward my door. "Chloe, I'm sorry Derek hurt you. I'm sorry your sister betrayed you, but that's not my problem anymore." "Jake, wait."
"Good luck figuring things out. Just don't involve me in the process."
I closed the door and locked it. Chloe stood outside crying for another ten minutes before finally leaving. She has texted a few times since then, apologizing, explaining, and begging for another conversation. I haven't responded.
Derek apparently moved in with Briana after Chloe caught them. Chloe is staying with her parents and says she never wants to speak to her sister again. The whole family has imploded over the mess. Their parents are mostly furious at Briana because she knowingly went after her sister's boyfriend, but they are disappointed in Chloe, too, for the situation she created.
Briana has also been receiving threatening messages from some of Chloe's friends. Derek, from what I hear, is just enjoying the drama. Meanwhile, I'm living my life in peace and dating someone new who doesn't have any exes she can't say no to. She is someone who thinks loyalty matters more than nostalgia.
Chloe wanted to explore her feelings with her first love. She explored them thoroughly and learned that first love doesn't mean lasting love, that excitement fades, and that character matters forever. Too bad she had to destroy our relationship to figure that out. She couldn't say no to Derek when he called, and I couldn't say yes to her when she came crawling back. Sometimes the answer you give defines who you are.