Normal guy stuff. No drama. No walking on eggshells. It just felt easy. I'd forgotten what that felt like.
I also met Quinn. She's an architect here, 29, and she was on that hospital project, too.
The first time we really talked was when I was explaining my timeline proposal to the group, and she just immediately got it. Started sketching out modifications to her designs right there.
We've grabbed coffee a few times to coordinate on the project. She's sharp as hell and doesn't waste time on BS.
I'm not trying to jump into anything. Honestly, I'm not ready. But it's nice to remember that conversations with women don't have to be exhausting.
Now, the Lena situation. Oh, boy.
She figured out I was in Denver by the end of my first week. I'm not sure how. The calls and texts had slowed down a bit, but once she knew where I was, they ramped back up.
Lots of "We need to talk about this like adults" and "You can't just run away from our relationship" messages.
Here's what I didn't mention in my first post. I'd been paying about 70% of our rent for the past year.
When I left, obviously, I stopped my half of the rent payment. She had to cover the full amount herself, and apparently, that was a shock to her system.
One of her messages was literally, "How am I supposed to afford this place on my own?"
Like I'm supposed to keep funding her life after she spent months prioritizing her ex.
But the really interesting part is what I've been hearing from mutual friends.
A bunch of people reached out to check in on me, asking how the new job was going, how I was settling into Denver. The usual stuff when someone makes a big move.
But inevitably, the conversation would shift to Lena. How could it not? And that's when I started hearing things that made me realize her "I was abandoned out of nowhere" narrative wasn't holding up.
My buddy Drew, who lives in the same building as we did, texted me about a week after I left.
"Dude, I have to tell you something. That Seth guy? He's been here like four or five nights a week for months. I thought you knew and were cool with it, but after you left, I realized you probably had no idea how often he was actually over there."
Then Jane, one of Lena's coworkers who I'd always gotten along with, reached out.