Page 37 of The ABCs of You & Me

“Thanks,” I yelp, trying to hide how in awe of this little gesture I am.

“And that’s not all.” He turns and shimmies, drawing my attention to his butt, more specifically to where a T-shirt is hanging out of his back pocket. I give it a little tug, and once it’s free, he takes my drink back and gestures for me to put it on.

I slip it over my head and snort, I haven’t worn a shirt this big in a while. “They only had extra-larges left,” Foster says, grinning down at me. “You can do one of those knot things.”

“It’s okay, I like a baggy tee.” To sleep in more than wear out and about, but I love that he not only got me a shirt, but he got himself the same one.

His lips part as if he’s about to say something, but the first notes of the next song begin and a huge smile lights up his face right before he throws his head back and yells “This is my soooong!” I watch, spellbound, as he gets right into it, singing along to every word with Nyx. It’s not until he sings, “You’re the sunshine after a rainy day, I wish I knew how to make you stay,” bringing his face right down to mine so that even in the dark I can practically count every eyelash, that I snap out of it and join in.

We jump and sing, and by the end half our drinks are on the floor from toasting. Foster’s lips return to my ear in time for the last line, offering it up for my ears only. And no offense to Nyx, but his version is way more impactful.

“Hands-down best concert I’ve ever been to,” Foster proclaims, as his head falls back against the headrest. “Also, brilliant parking so far from the venue. The worst part of any concert is getting out of a parking lot.”

“It does kill the vibe of a concert pretty quickly. I figured getting you home sooner rather than later was key.”

“I appreciaaa–” His sentence is interrupted by a yawn. “Gah, sorry. I appreciate it. Now that the adrenaline is gone, I can feel the energy draining from my body.”

“I’ll get you home as fast as I can.” I wink at him. Why the hell did I wink at him? That wasn’t even a wink-worthy comment. What the fuck is wrong with me? I can’t even bring myself to look at him again until I hear a soft puff of air. When I peek over he’s asleep, his lips parted in my direction. It’s probably a good thing that I need to keep my eyes on the road because the urge to stare at him is strong. But I don’t want to be creepy about it, even if the desire to do so keeps leading me to slide my gaze to my right. Whatever the complicated feelings I have for him are, there is one that stands out, and it’s happiness. He calls me sunshine, but he’s always been the reason she comes out.

NINETEEN

FOSTER

From the moment we leave the concert, I start counting down to Sunday’s brunch. I’d consider myself to be a pretty happy person, but Sophie brings a different kind of happy out of me. The kind of happy that makes life a bit lighter. She’s always had that effect on me, I just didn’t realize it until she stepped back into my life. My sunshine is back, and I am reaping all the rewards of a healthy dose of vitamin D.

When Sophie stops in front of my building, I have the urge to invite her up, not because I want to move this relationship out of the friend zone into a romantic one. Even though I would in a heartbeat if she said the word. Looking over at her, I want to ask,Do you want to come up for a bit? I've got cookies. You could meet Gary. We could debrief about the concert over some decaf or tea or water.Her eyebrows rise as if she’s waiting for me to speak, and I realize I’m only thinking things and not saying them. I don’t need anything else to convince me that I am in no shape to host anyone at this moment.

“Tonight was a blast. I’m glad I could fill in,” I finally manage to say.

Sophie’s eyebrows drop, and she smiles softly. I watch as her hand lifts toward my face, and I automatically move my head toward it. Only it lands on my shoulder a split second later.

“I hope you’re able to sleep tonight. You don’t even look like you’ll make it to the door,” she teases.

How about I sleep here? You can keep me company. With your hand on my shoulder and your sunshineyness surrounding me.

The hand on my shoulder gives a squeeze, and I realize I’ve started to drift off again. Pulling away, I throw the door open and go to step out, only to be pulled back into the car by the seatbelt that is still very much buckled.

“The universe seems to want me to stay put,” I mumble, hearing a click and then watching as the belt slides across my body.

“I don’t think your body would appreciate that in the morning,” Sophie muses.

I look back pathetically. “Can we forget how tired I was?”

“I won’t mention it to anyone, but I don’t think I’ll be forgetting about it any time soon.”

I nod because, fair. “Thanks again, Soph. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I don’t hear Sophie pull away, and as I open the door to my apartment I wonder if I should text her to let her know I made it all the way without falling asleep or getting trapped in anything.

Gary is sitting by the window when I flick the light on and I walk over to join him. Sophie flashes her lights and drives away. I lift my hand in a delayed wave only to have Gary move his head toward it.

I watch him nuzzle in. “I think we spend too much time together, Gary,” I tell him as he succeeds in doing what I had automatically done in the car.

“Why do they call dogs’ bits their privates?” Pete asks Friday afternoon during gym class.

I should be used to him asking random questions by now, but I’m not sure I will ever be. “Excuse me?” I ask, dodging a rogue basketball.

“A dog’s bits,” he says emphatically. “My mom called our dog’s bits his privates last night. ‘Dougie, put your privates away.’” Pete’s impression of his mom is phenomenal. “But his bits are on the outside. There isn’t anything private about them.”

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