Page 28 of An Engagement Pact

And maybe it doesn’t matter at all if he does.

When I reach the parking lot behind the library, the first thing I see is Dan. He’s dressed in gym shorts and a T-shirt. He looks bigger than normal for some reason. I can’t help but take a look at his toned, tanned legs and arms. His hair glints almost gold in the sun.

I can’t tell if he checks out my appearance because he’s wearing sunglasses like I am. He’s grinning as I approach, but instead of speaking to me, he introduces himself quite seriously to Sasha.

Sasha is a well-trained dog. She sits on command and offers him her paw when he extends his hand. She pants ecstatically at the attention but then gets distracted by the sight of the trail nearby.

She spins a quick circle as we start to walk.

“She’s used to running,” I explain as I set a fairly fast pace. “So I try to walk as fast as I can.”

“That’s no problem.” He falls into step with me easily. His legs are a lot longer than mine. “We can even run if you want.”

“Nah, I hate running. I always have. I can walk forever, but please don’t ask me to run.”

That makes him laugh. “Why is that?”

“I have no idea. But I’ve always hated it. Ever since I was a kid. Do you run?”

“Not if I can help it. I’m actually not all that fond of exercise, if you want to know the truth.”

I look up and down his body. “You’re in decent shape.”

“Yeah. I used to play soccer a lot. In school and all through college. Exercise was always better for me if there was a purpose involved. But years of soccer kept me in decent shape, and then after college I’ve made myself go to the gym at least four times a week. I hate it, but I make myself do it anyway.”

I frown, thinking about what he’s said. “Maybe there’s some sort of community soccer league you could join.”

“I’ve looked, and I couldn’t find anything within a reasonable distance. So gym it is.” He makes a face. “It’s so incredibly boring.”

“Yeah, I’ve never been a fan of the gym myself. I’d go sometimes in college, but I always preferred walking outside where I can actually see things. But lately I get so much exercise with my job that I don’t need anything extra.”

“I wouldn’t think so.” He looks at me, and this time his top-to-bottom scan of my body is obvious. “You’re in great shape.”

“Thanks.” I’m self-conscious about the compliment, so I fall into silence for a while, holding Sasha back from the sprint she obviously wants to launch into.

After a few minutes, he asks me about my day, and I tell him and then ask him about his. He tells me a couple of funny stories about an obnoxious coworker he’s stuck with and then tells me that his parents invited me over for a cookout this coming weekend.

I’m not too thrilled about meeting his parents. It feels like it’s going to make things more complicated. Since our relationship isn’t real, there isn’t any reason to get too entangled with each other. But before I can verbalize my immediate discomfort, I reason myself out of it.

Of course, if Dan and I are engaged, I would attend the occasional function at his parents’. And I would be completely unreasonable to object.

“Sure,” I manage to say in a somewhat casual tone. “That would be fine.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to?” I’m glad I’m wearing sunglasses so he can’t see that my eyes are restless.

“I don’t know,” he says slowly. “But it seems like you don’t.”

“Well, you’re wrong. I’m perfectly happy to come. Just let me know the details.”

We’re silent for a few minutes, both of us focusing on Sasha, who’s clearly on a mission to be the absolute best walker of all the dogs on the trail.

Finally Dan asks, “So you’re still okay with everything?”

“With what?”

“With our plan. With this weird situation. It’s still okay with you?”

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