Page 54 of Under the Ink

“Eh, it’s nothing. I just…I know you’re checking out every city we visit, and I wanted to help.”

Until this moment, she’d had no idea he had a single sweet bone in his body—and it immediately softened every tense muscle in hers. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I, um…I definitely want to visit the lake, but I’d love to see other stuff too.”

“Yeah, if you look,” Sage said, flipping a page in the map on her lap, “you can see there’s a shit ton of places to check out by the lake. See?”

Glancing back at the map to the big red numbered circles, she noted that there appeared to be far more than she could get done in a day—but she was happy for the challenge. “I think I’d love your company.”

“Yes.I was hoping you’d say that. If you’re game, I think we should grab a bite first—‘cause I’m fucking starving—and then we could quickly check out the Loop so you can say you’ve seen it. Then we can head to the lake and go see as many of these things as you want. How’s that sound?”

Well…she couldn’t resist his infectious excitement. He was actually looking forward to this almost more than she was. “Sounds great.”

“I’m glad you said that. I’ve already opened up Uber on my phone and a guy’s on his way. Should be here in four minutes.”

Laughing, Naomi said, “I guess we should head outside then.”

“Yep. Now the next question: pizza or Greek?”

“Greek?”

“Yeah.”

“Uh…I haven’t had pizza in a while.” She wasn’t about to admit that the only Greek food she’d ever had was yogurt—and she would prefer something familiar.

“I’m glad you said that. Pizza it is.”

They barely made it outside by the time their driver arrived, and she was almost giggling as they piled in the back of the car and off they went. She’d halfway expected it to take a long time, but she hadn’t really checked out the map. Within just a few short minutes, they were in what Sage called the Loop.

While they ate, they just talked about the show the night before, but Naomi found herself really looking at him as someone she cared for.

She tried to convince herself that he could be a great friend like Ginny.Onlya friend.

After the waiter brought the check and Sage insisted upon paying, Naomi started leafing through the map Sage had lovingly constructed for her—while also pulling up her maps app. By the time the waiter had brought back Sage’s card and a slip to add a tip, Naomi said, “It looks like Grant Park—andLake Michigan—are less than a mile from here.”

“You wanna walk there?”

“I’ll race you!” Naomi said, scootching out of the booth quickly, snatching up her phone and the map.

“I’ll catch up,” Sage said, all but shaking his head.

“I’m just kidding. It’s way too muggy out there to run.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. No running for me.” Standing, Sage took a deep breath and stretched. “I gotta stop partying like that.”

Although she didn’t disagree, she thought she might understand the appeal. “You seem to have fun doing it.”

“Well, yeah…but it’s too much of a good thing, y’know?” As he pushed the door open, he held it for Naomi to walk through. “I would have just as much fun if I drank three beers instead of six…if I had three shots instead of twenty.”

“Sure.”

“There comes a point where you’ve gotten all the good you’re going to get out of it…so why not stop? I just need to figure out where that sweet spot is.”

Naomi couldn’t quite grasp that concept, considering it was always a chore trying to actuallyenjoywhat she was doing. She’d spent so much of her adulthood simply trying to figure out how to survive while trying to feel safe or comfortable that the idea of having fun was almost foreign.

But she felt like Sage could show her how.

And she wanted to try.

“Maybe you’re going about it all wrong,” she said as they paused at the curb, waiting for the signal that it was safe to cross. “Instead of trying to analyze a good stopping place after the fact, go into it with a plan.”

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