Page 77 of The System

“Sorry?”

“Your date ended kind of early, Carina. Is she a bad kisser or something?”

“She’s not my date.”

“I thought you were dating Kelly.” Tinley crossed her arms over her chest. “And, damn, you do move fast.”

“First of all, her name is Kieran. Second, what are you doing here?”

“Dropping this off and making arrangements to get my bed,” Tinley replied and handed Carina her spare garage door opener. “I forgot I had this on my visor. Can I swing by with a pickup truck this weekend for my bed?”

“I thought you forgot about that,” Carina said, taking the garage door opener from her.

“My bed or the garage door opener?”

“Both, I guess.”

“Can I come in, Carina? I’m standing outside here.”

“I’m getting dressed to go out, so no,” she replied. “Thank you for dropping this off, though.”

“Did she give you a bottle of wine at the end of a date?” Tinley asked, looking at the bottle in Carina’s hand.

“No, I left it in her car the other night after a party,” she answered honestly. “And you can pick your bed up this weekend, if you really need it, but I was going to message you to see if you wanted me to just keep it and pay you a couple hundred for it.”

“You want to buy my old bed?” Tinley asked.

“I can keep it in the guest room for now,” she replied.

“And you want to pay me for it?”

“Not really. I want you to say that it’s fine for me to keep it because I paid for everything between us the entire time we were together and even after we broke up, but I’m trying not to be rude.”

Tinley squinted her eyes at her and said, “I found an apartment. I move in this weekend, okay? And I need a bed. I can’t afford to buy a new one, or else I would’ve taken you up on that.”

“Okay. Well, you can get it this weekend. Just call first so I can be here to let you in.”

“I’m borrowing my friend’s truck, but can you help me carry it out of here?” Tinley asked.

“What? You need me to help you move now, too?” Carina asked, shaking her head.

“Just a mattress and a bed frame. It’s not that heavy.”

“And who’s helping you take the bed frame apart? I helped you put it together.”

“Fine. Never mind, Carina. God, why did you even date me if I’m still just a child to you? That’s some deep-seated issue right there.”

“You weren’t like this when we met,” she replied as she placed the wine next to her keys on the table she had by the door. “You seemed driven. You were in law school and sounded like you had a plan.”

“A plan that wasn’t mine,” Tinley argued.

“I know that now, but I didn’t back then.”

“So, I’m not good enough for you now because I don’t want to be a lawyer?”

“No, Tinley; I don’t care if you want to be a personal trainer or something else. But you got used to me taking care of you and stopped trying at anything at all, and that isn’t what I want for myself. Now, I really do have to go, or I’m going to be late. So, just text me or something, and I’ll let you in, but I’m not helping you take the thing apart or get it down the stairs and outside. Bring that friend or hire movers.”

“Fine,” Tinley replied. “But I’m trying now, okay?”

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