the backyard was glowing with golden string lights that your mom said made everything feel magical. tables were lined up with over ambitious charcuterie boards and way too much alcohol. you had barely stepped onto the patio when you saw renee. her glasses were slightly sliding down her nose

of course she was here. she looked like a damn album cover. you hadnt seen each other since the breakup but judging by the way her eyes raked down your frame and stopped at a few spots, she hadnt missed much. you gave her a nod and a smug little smirk that said you knew she still looked for you in rooms

she didnt smile back. she just turned her head slightly and said something to someone but you caught the glance she threw over her shoulder

you walked in with your hand shoved into your pocket and a whiskey already sweating in the other like you hadnt noticed her trying very hard not to notice you

your mom greeted her like nothing had ever happened and like your last fight didnt involve renee screaming in your penthouse kitchen about how you didnt take her seriously and how tired she was of being seen as ‘your little songbird’. you were tired too but neither of you had admitted it until it all burned out and collapsed on itself

now here you were. two months after the breakup with thirty something people eating brisket and pretending not to care that renee rapp and her ex were ten feet from each other at a family reunion

you sat across the fire pit near her with your legs spread wide and your voice loud enough to be heard but not directed at her. you saw her jaw clench when your cousin made a joke and you laughed a little too hard. she hated when you did that, tried too hard to seem unaffected

eventually your paths crossed by the drinks table. you reached for the ginger beer just as she went for the tequila and your arms brushed.

she finally looked at you with that sharp kind of stare like she had been saving it “you still drink that cheap shit?” she asked with her eyes flicking down to your glass

you grinned “you still wear glasses you dont need?”

she scoffed “still a dick.”

“still hot.”

you both stood there for a second too long, neither of you backing down yet

“your mom invited me” she said eventually with her voice low and almost annoyed

you leaned in just slightly “of course she did. you were always her favorite. too bad that didnt mean shit when it came to us.”

she narrowed her eyes, lifting her drink to her lips “keep talking like that and i might forget why i ever left”

you smirked again “thats assuming you ever really did”