Page 56 of Through The Woods

The second thing was that Charm must’ve been the one who called PD as we got to the grocery store. He obviously wanted PD to stall.

But why?

Fir tree

“Hey, PD,” I casually began, earning me an immediate eyeroll.

“Jesus fuck, Neve. Let it go.” He began walking toward the stairs and I did my best to match his stride.

It was unfair really. I’d waited a full twenty-four hours to discuss this; thinking I’d give him some time to cool down. I deserved a medal for the restraint I’d shown.

And, maybe it wasn’t the conversation I wanted to have, but the other party in my situation had gone AWOL; leaving me to ponder that cliffside kiss on my own.

I was going to work up the courage to confront him; I was.

I was going to come right out and ask, “Charm, what happened to…”

Or I’d say, “Look, Charm. I know about…”

Well, I still had time to figure out how to put all the words together into one coherent thought. I just wondered if my heart was going to be capable of accepting the answer.

“PD—wait. Just hear me out, please.”

He stopped at the top of the stairs and resignedly turned around. “Are you slow? Did anything I said yesterday stick? I don’t want to have this fucking discussion with you. Is that clear?”

Each word was enunciated loudly. A normal person would’ve fled the landing; unfortunately for him, I hadn’t been ‘normal’ in quite some time.

He stomped down the hall toward his room and I dutifully followed after him again. “Just look me in the eyes and tell me that you’re not in love with her.”

PD’s shoulders sagged as he stopped at his door. With his back to me, he replied, “I said to drop it.” He let himself in and closed the door quietly behind him.

I debated for a fraction of a second before going in after him. He refused to acknowledge my presence; choosing instead to shed his vest and empty his pockets onto the dresser as if I wasn’t standing a mere three feet away.

“Did you know that penguins are monogamous?” When he didn’t respond, I continued, “It’s true—when a male penguin falls in love with a female, he searches far and wide to find a gift. And not just any old gift, but the most perfect pebble on the beach. He then presents it at her feet—it’s a little like kneeling to propose, but they’re penguins. I don’t even know if they’re capable of kneeling, come to think of it. I would think they would just waddle around all penguin-like—”

PD sat down on the edge of the bed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Jesus, you talk too much. Are you going to make a point or just continue spouting off random animal facts?”

I shoved my hands down into the deep pockets of my sweatpants and rocked back on my heels, looking more like a fidgeting toddler than an individual with an above-average IQ. “I just meant that penguins mate for life—for instance, they would only seek out another partner if their mate were to pass. And that’s probably only young widower penguins. Older penguins are just content to remain single and play bridge at the penguin retirement center.”

He pressed his lips together, fighting the smile that was suddenly creeping across his face. “Is that so? And that relates to me…how?”

I sighed. “Isn’t it obvious? Ali might be your penguin. I saw the way you looked at her and it wasn’t just because the woman’s basically a human pretzel. What happened there?”

He stiffened and I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m not trying to pry, I swear. It’s just sometimes when you see two people who would be perfect together, you kind of want to just smack their heads together until they see it too. You know?”

The grin widened on his face. “I know exactly what you mean. Sometimes, we get in the way of our own happiness, don’t we Neve?”

I sat down next to him and nodded. “Sure, I guess. I just don’t want you to spend the rest of your life regretting the decision to not be with her if she makes you feel even the tiniest bit of happiness. If she appreciates your interests and takes the time to get to know what makes you tick, then don’t throw it away. If you have nothing holding you back, then go after her, like the badass biker you are.”

He watched me amusedly before sneezing into his handkerchief. “You have a lot of experience in this department?”

I snorted, “What? An unhealthy obsession with other people’s love lives? Guilty.” I waved my hand toward him. “But, that’s neither here nor there. I have a plan to help you. So, when I was at the store yesterday, I got a Neti Pot. It’s supposed to help with severe allergies and congestion. You just pour it into your nose and it flushes everything out. I think this—”

“You want me to do what? Oh, fuck no.” PD’s eyes widened and he jumped up off the bed, heading toward the stairs.

I retrieved the box from my room and ran down after him. “It’ll help with your allergies—I promise.”

Rooster looked up from his phone and clapped his hand on his thigh before jumping up from the dinner table. “Oh, this I gotta see.”

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