Page 25 of Just Watch Me

Mom:Hi, honey. I ran into George today. He’s still looking for someone to work on computers with him. I think you should give him a call. Also, Betty is renting out the apartment over her garage. It’s much cheaper than what you’re paying in Portland. Safer too.

With each word, my mood tanked.Why can’t she understand I need to live my life?I didn’t want to crawl back to my hometown and live in their bubble forever.

I looked for Skylar for a hit of dopamine and found him on the sidewalk near the store’s entrance, frowning at his phone. I wanted to ask why he was frowning and ease the wrinkle in his forehead because I cared about him too much.

Living outside my parents’ bubble led to heartache because Skylar would leave eventually.Where will that put me?Brokenhearted over a guy I knew wasn’t going to stick around. Maybe moving back home was safer.

I gritted my teeth. No. That didn’t matter. I would enjoy the time I had left with Skylar and do whatever I could to protect my heart in the process. I was a smart guy. I could figure out a way to manage both.

After buying the keychain, I stepped outside. “Everything okay?”

Skylar looked up from tapping on his phone. “Yeah. Sorry. Got an email about a meeting I need to have on Monday.” Something was off. He had a melancholy vibe I hadn’t seen before.

A meeting. If I had to bet, it was about his next assignment.

My mouth went dry. I gave myself about two seconds to panic then focused on keeping our day light and fun. He’d mentioned it was a special day for him, and I wouldn’t let anything ruin it. I squeezed his shoulder. “No more work. Let’s get that clam chowder.”

Skylar gave me a small smile. “Yeah, let’s do that.” He paused. “Wait, I got you something. It’s small, but I guess I just wanted to mark the day.” He pulled something from his pocket and handed it to me.

The sameGoonieskeychain I’d bought him.

CHAPTER13

“I don’t know if that’s enough cheese.” Skylar leaned against the counter in my apartment as I grated part of yesterday’s cheese haul.

“I don’t know how you like your macaroni and cheese, but I like mine extra cheesy.” I smirked at Skylar. It was more comfortable than I expected to cook dinner with him. For all the meals we’d shared, that was the first time we’d cooked. We navigated around each other with ease in my tiny kitchen.

I wasn’t sure how he broke through my defenses, but Skylar had become my closest friend and favorite person over the past month. It was ridiculous to feel so close to him that quickly. But no matter how much I doubted it, I had to acknowledge that we were two lonely puzzle pieces who’d found each other at the right time. Though our time as neighbors would end soon, I was confident we would remain friends. I had to be okay with that.

But something had shifted in Astoria. I wasn’t sure what had happened, but he’d pulled back a little. He’d been quieter during dinner, and instead of talking on the ride home, we’d listened to an episode of a podcast we both enjoyed. I’d tried to tell myself that he’d possibly hit his people-ing limit for the day, but my gut said it was something else. I half expected him to cancel our dinner plans the next night, but I was glad he hadn’t. He’d shown up and acted like his normal, funny, flirty, silly self.

“You’re cheesy.” Skylar pinched a pile of cheese and popped it in his mouth.

“Ooh, good comeback.”

“Sorry, I’m not at my optimal wit. A hot guy is cooking dinner for me with the promise of watching one of my favorite movies after. You’ll have to excuse me.”

My hand slipped, and the chunk of cheese crumbled into big chunks. “Hot guy?” No one had called me hot before. I was skinny, nerdy, and quiet. I was decent looking for an average guy, I supposed, but definitely not hot. A person like me didn’t turn heads in a gay club.

Skylar though?He was the kind of guy I’d seen on dating apps and was too terrified to swipe on because surely, he wouldn’t give me a second look. He was so far out of my league he might as well be at the space station, but he never made me feel that way.

Skylar tilted his head as he studied at me. “J, you’re really attractive.”

“Thanks,” I mumbled as I carefully grated the crumbles.

He stepped close to me, and I inhaled his spicy body wash. “I know you’re shy, but I need you to understand how appealing and interesting you are.”

I avoided his eyes as I sprinkled cheese over cooked macaroni. The churning in my stomach was impossible to ignore. “Thank you,” I said after an awkward silence, risking a glance at him.

He stared at me with a determined expression on his face, like the one I’d seen at work a couple of times before. “I’m serious. If I can do one thing, it’ll be to make it clear how special you are.”

My pulse pounded in my ears.

“I meet a lot of people, but I’ve never met someone who makes me feel so comfortable. Half my life is spent shifting like a chameleon to adapt to whoever I’m working with, but you make me feel likeme. It’s silly.” He shook his head and shifted to lean against the counter.

I wiped my hands on a rag and turned toward him. “It’s not silly at all. I feel the same way around you.” I offered what I hoped was an encouraging smile.

“Yeah?”

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