Good to hear someone’s thoughts on this.
It’s difficult to not be subjective, but I’d take my chances with Sage. It seems to be more of a measured risk, relative to potential outcomes with the others, at least.
In most cases, I think that rebounds are poor choices, as they’re chosen for one trait over others (e.g. sexual chemistry or compassion) to compensate or make up for what a previous partner may have lacked. In the MC’s case, it’s different, as it’s not just the sex that gets ticked as a criterion in their current friends-with-benefits agreement. In the MC, she has a guy who potentially ticks most, if not all, of the most important boxes — tension, chemistry, similar interests, similar humour, and even similar personality traits, as both have backbone, speak their mind, and would know where each other stands. But beyond these areas, the most significant one is that her affection for the guy doesn’t come from just sex romps, but the fact that he’s inadvertently made her feel, reflect and empathise. This is a love interest who swears like a pirate and whose parents never expressed feelings in the family household, yet she finds herself drawn to how much the MC loves his parents, and how this extends to how he treats her outside of sex. I do see how they could both graduate and chase other sexual escapades, for instance, but I can also see them ultimately re-connecting in their late 20s or 30s after getting their relationship timing right.
