After being reborn, I no longer pestered my girlfriend who had been in love for seven years

I was secretly dating my sisters best friend for seven years.

Crazy, right?

But then, one night, after a few too many, she kinda jokingly says to me, Hey, Luke, Im gonna find you a better woman. Can you just stop being so hung up on me, okay?

I kept my face cool.

I just calmly said, Sure.

See, last time around, I didnt take her up on that offer.

I insisted on marrying her.

Big mistake.

After the wedding, she basically ignored me, iced me out.

And then, when I got into that car wreck and was bleeding out, she was off in the Arctic with her high school sweetheart, chasing the Northern Lights.

Thats when I realized, real feelings can change in a heartbeat.

You can't force someone to love you.

...

When I said "sure," Winnie just froze.

I guess she wasn't expecting me to agree so quick.

We were in this booth at O'Malley's.

The lights were low and kinda hazy.

Her face was flushed, but her eyes were clear as day.

You couldn't tell she'd had anything to drink.

I sat up straight, giving her a little smile.

Winnie suddenly got all serious, ditching the chill vibe, Luke, did you even hear what I just said?

I nodded. Loud and clear.

Used to be, if she said something like that, I'd get all worked up, cut her off, and tell her not to talk that way.

But now, I just shrugged it off.

Like it was nothing.

Luke, you

She didnt finish her sentence. My sister, Tess, came back from grabbing some air.

She saw Winnie and grinned. Guess who I just saw outside?

Before Winnie could say anything, Tess went on, Your old flame, Ethan! He looked wasted. Some loaded chicks were trying to drag him into a private room

Winnie practically jumped out of her seat and bolted for the door.

A few seconds later, we heard a bunch of yelling and something smash.

I just stayed put, munching on some orange slices from the fruit platter.

Winnie always loved fruit, but hated peeling it.

Id always peel it for her, super carefully, and put it right in front of her.

Then she'd take a couple bites.

Tess would always tease me, "You're way too good to her, what about your sister? You must be in love with her!"

I almost spilled the beans a few times, told her Winnie and I were a thing.

But she'd always throw her arm around me and say, Maybe Luke thinks I'm more like a real sister than you are! Little brother's gotta look out for his big sis, you got a problem with that?"

Eventually, I got the picture.

She didnt want anyone knowing about us.

So I kept my mouth shut.

After seven years, nobody even suspected a thing.

Tess was standing in the doorway, trying to figure out when to jump in and help.

She glanced back at me, still stuffing my face with fruit, and joked, Hey, Winnies getting into it with someone. Arent you gonna go play the hero?

I swallowed the last bite of orange and shook my head. Nah. Im not gonna get involved in a catfight.

Tess raised an eyebrow, but didnt say anything. She went out to help.

I sat there for a long time, until it finally got quiet outside. That's when I got up.

As soon as I stepped out of the booth, I saw Winnie holding onto this guy's arm.

It was Ethan, her first love, the one she could never quite shake.

He was drunk, leaning all over her.

She wasnt pushing him away. She was holding him tight.

Her eyes were a little angry, but also... she looked worried.

Tess saw the scene and nudged me. Think they might get back together?

She wasnt yelling, but Winnie definitely heard.

Winnie looked up, saw me standing there, and got a little flustered.

She explained, Im not trying to get back with him. Hes just drunk. Im just helping him out.

I just smiled and shook my head. Sure, Winnie. I get it. He looks pretty out of it. You should probably get him home.

Winnie frowned a little, like she didnt like the way I said her name, but she didnt argue.

As she led Ethan away, she told Tess, You guys should head home too. Dont stay out too late.

Watching them go, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

It was so messed up, so ridiculous.

Last time, I got everything I thought I wanted, and ended up miserable.

On my birthday, all I wanted was for her to spend the night with me.

She said, Im swamped at work. Can you just not bother me right now?

Then I saw pictures of her and Ethan skiing in the mountains.

When I got a stomach ulcer, I begged her to come to the hospital with me.

She snapped, Im not a doctor! Go to the ER if youre in pain. What do you want me to do about it?

Next thing I knew, she was taking Ethan to the same hospital for a little sniffle.

Later, I planned a big surprise for our anniversary, but got into a car wreck on the way home.

The doctors called her, needed her to sign off on emergency surgery.

She said, Is he dead? If hes not dead, leave me alone.

Right after that, Ethan yelled from the background, "Winnie, check this out, the Northern Lights are beautiful, so glad we came!"

And then she hung up.

I was bleeding all over the place, fading fast.

I remembered the crushing pain, the feeling like I couldnt breathe.

I clutched my chest and gave a weak smile.

Winnie, if you think my love is such a burden, Im done loving you.

That night, Tess and I didnt stick around. We went home early.

I woke up the next morning, still kinda groggy, and checked my phone.

Ethan had sent me a message.

It was a picture of Winnie asleep in his bed.

He wrote, Winnie stayed over last night.

I didnt even flinch. I just replied with, Cool.

I really couldnt care less.

He didnt give up. A few minutes later, he sent another picture.

This time it was breakfast.

He said, Winnie made me breakfast! Check out the heart-shaped eggs!

Winnie had never once set foot in the kitchen when we were together.

She always said she was a princess and didnt want to change her lifestyle.

I even took cooking classes to take care of her.

She always had a hot meal waiting for her.

Finding out she'd cook for Ethan made me realize what a joke I was.

I saw the message, didnt reply, and went downstairs to make breakfast.

Five minutes later, Winnie texted.

She acted like nothing happened. She just asked, That lotus root thing you made last time was pretty good. Can you make some more today? Ill be at the office.

"Oh and don't forget to leave out the cilantro."

I frowned.

Winnie loved cilantro.

Shed always order it with everything.

I thought for a second, then texted back, Sure.

Then I fired up DoorDash, ordered some random takeout, and sent it to her office.

That night, I got off work and grabbed dinner with Tess.

We were just walking into the restaurant when we saw Winnie and Ethan walking in, holding hands and all smiles.

Winnie noticed us and immediately dropped his arm. She started walking towards us.

Ethan looked a little annoyed, but played it cool. He said, What a coincidence! We got here late, and there arent any tables left. You guys mind if we crash your dinner?

Winnie didnt even wait for an answer. She just plopped down next to me.

Tesss eyes widened. She jumped up and switched seats with Winnie.

Are you crazy? You cant sit next to your boyfriends ex!

Winnie ended up across from me, looking kinda pissed, like she was waiting for me to say something.

I looked away and handed the menu to Ethan. Here you go, Ethan. Order whatever you guys want. We already know what were having.

He took the menu, trying to act natural. Luke, your cooking is amazing. Way better than anything you can buy.

That confirmed it. The food Winnie wanted me to make was for him.

I smiled, but didnt say anything.

Tess smirked, clearly enjoying this. He went nuts and started taking cooking classes. He was the only guy in the whole class. I thought hed chicken out, but he stuck with it.

Whoever ends up with him will be one lucky girl.

Winnie had been smiling, but her face changed when she heard that.

She took a slow sip of tea and said, Lukes thinking about dating?

I looked at her, confused.

I remembered what she said in the bar. I nodded a little. Im twenty-six. Its about time. If you know anyone, Im all ears.

Finally! Tess was practically bouncing in her seat. Ive been trying to set you up for ages, but you always said no. Im gonna find you the perfect girl!

Winnies lips tightened. She stared at me, like she was trying to read my mind.

Ethan noticed something was up. He laughed and said, Lukes lucky to have a sister like you looking out for him. Im kinda jealous. You know, Winnie would be a great

Dont be silly, Lukes my brother.

Winnie cut him off before he could finish.

She sounded annoyed, but her face was soft.

I agreed with her. Yeah, Winnies like a big sister to me. Dont joke like that, Ethan.

Besides, I think you and Winnie make a great couple.

Winnies face fell. She got angry. Really? Maybe I should set you up with someone. Wanna go on a date?

Sure, that would be great.

I smiled and agreed right away.

For the next few days, I didnt hear from Winnie. She didnt call or text.

Then Ethan showed up at my door.

Tess and I were both at my place.

So, whats up?

Ethan glanced at me, trying to look embarrassed. Tess, you know how Winnie and I are, uh childhood sweethearts. Weve been on and off for years, but we still have something special.

We broke up after a fight. That was my fault. I want to win her back. Can you guys help me?

If I hadnt gone through all that before, I would have told him Winnie loved me.

I would have told him to give up.

But I knew now that she had feelings for him.

They were meant to be together.

Sure! Its the least we can do! We know how you guys feel about each other. Shes clearly still into you. Youll nail it!

Tess was all excited.

Ethan grinned at me, like hed already won.

I shrugged. I wasnt worried.

Two days later, Tess and Winnies friends were all set to put on this big display.

They wanted to test their relationship.

They set everything up at this place in the mountains.

When we got there, it was packed. I didnt feel like fighting the crowds, so I hung back.

But Ethan dragged me along. We ended up right in the front row, where we could see everything.

The show started and sparks flew everywhere.

Ethan got scared and hid behind her.

Winnie laughed. She grabbed his arm and teased, You know youre afraid of fire. Whyd you come so close? Are you crazy?

I knew youd be here. With you, Im not scared of anything.

She smiled and held his hand.

For a second, I remembered when we first got married.

I thought it would be perfect. I wanted to make her happy.

But then, one night, she got drunk and I went to pick her up.

She was complaining to Ethan, "I feel like I married my dad, he wants to control everything, it's annoying!"

"You are amazing, you know your limits, you don't annoy me!"

Suddenly, this dog came running out of nowhere. People started screaming and ducking.

It snapped me out of it.

Too late. The dog was right next to me.

I tried to pull Tess back, but someone shoved me hard.

Before I knew it, Id stumbled past the safety line.

Everyone was yelling.

And then, I saw Winnie running towards me.

For a second, I thought she was coming to save me.

But then she ran right past me and grabbed Ethan, who was on the other side of the line.

What were you expecting, Luke?

I wanted to laugh, but couldnt. It was too twisted.

Luckily, Tess pulled me back and helped me hobble away.

We were barely out of the crowd when she said, The big finales about to start! Lets go watch!

She dragged me to the entrance.

Winnies friends had hung up all these decorations.

There were photos and love letters, all this sappy stuff.

Ethan showed up with pink roses and started pouring his heart out.

Winnie just stood there, stunned.

A breeze blew through, and I felt something stir inside me.

It was like the wind was telling them they belonged together.

They were in love. This was how it was supposed to be.

I started clapping and cheering. Say yes! Say yes!

Winnie heard me and looked at me like Id lost my mind.

Luke, what are you doing? Im your girlfriend!