Page 26 of A Simple Reminder

“Come on, it’s only a little weed,” Marco insists, leaning in closer.

He doesn’t seem to get it, so I try again, firmer this time. “I don’t smoke, Marco.”

“I don’t smoke either; cigarettes are nasty.” He chuckles, then suddenly tries to shove the joint in my mouth, but I recoil, moving away quickly.

“No, Marco.”

“But–”

Liam grabs Marco’s hands, the joint still smoldering between his fingers. “She said no. Is it that hard to get through your head.” His voice is calm but with an edge of firmness to it.

“It’s not that serious,” Marco mutters, clearly annoyed as he pulls his hand back.

“Itisthat serious if you’re trying to force something on someone.” Liam takes the joint and dunks it in his beer, the hiss of extinguishing ember filling the space.

“Hey!” Marco calls out, but Liam completely ignores him, his eyes only locked on mine with an intensity that makes my heart skip a beat.

“Let’s go, Soph. We have our dinner reservations.” He stands up smoothly and extends his open palm to me, and I take it immediately, intertwining my fingers with his as we find our way out of the apartment.

This is not how I wanted the evening to pan out. I feel conflicted, and my shoulders hunch slightly as the weight of the situation presses down on me. I stood my ground and am proud, but now I feel embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it awkward and ruin the evening,” I say, feeling a pang of guilt as we step onto the street below.

“Ruin? Sunshine, you can’t ruin anything. Our evening hasn’t started yet,” he replies with a reassuring smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. His infectious energy makes me relax as we walk hand-in-hand toward our destination. Yet, something is bugging me: the idea that this won’t last. We’re at the end of May now, and I’m set to return home at the end of June.

Maybe, just maybe I could extend my stay.No, I can’t. I need to get back to Dad. He hasn’t been good in a while. The last time I saw him during Easter, he agreed to go to rehab. His program is set to be between sixty and ninety days, so I’ll have to be back at the end of June to prepare for him coming home.

The thought gnaws at me, casting a shadow over the otherwise nice evening–up until the drugs.

What we have here is amazing and fun, but it’s a fling, right? The uncertainty of everything looms in the back of my mind, and I have to pull myself together.

Liam’s hand squeezes my hand tighter. “Where did you go?”

“What?”

He stops and turns me so we face each other. “You disappeared somewhere.”

My eyes find his and try to put a smile on my face, but of course, he sees right through me.

“Soph,” he says softly

My answer comes out in a whisper, “Yeah?”

His big hand cradles my cheek, and I lean into the warm feeling, closing my eyes for a moment to savor it.

“Talk to me,” he urges gently, his thumb brushing lightly against my skin. “What’s on your mind? Is it Marco?”

I open my eyes, looking into his vulnerability and uncertainty.

“No, it’s not him.”

“Then what’s wrong? Let me make it right,” he insists, his forehead wrinkling in worry.

“I wish you could make this right, but you can’t,” I say, my voice tinged with frustration and sadness. As we walk, we pass by a wooden bench, and he gently tugs me toward it.

“We have all night,” he says, sitting down and patting the spot next to him.

I smile, appreciating his patience and care. Then I remember our dinner reservation. “What about our reservation?”

He shrugs, a playful glint in his eyes. “We’ll get another reservation.”

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