Page 13 of April

“How old are you again?” she asked as she laughed. “I thought that comeback only worked with preteens.”

“I’m breaking up with Gavin, okay?” Asher said as she placed the paper napkin in her lap.

“You’re what?”

“It’s not working. I’m going to tell him tonight.”

“What happened last night?”

“Nothing happened. I just made the decision.”

“Ash, was he a jerk when you pulled him away from the game or something?”

“No, I didn’t pull him away from the game.”

Linden had suspected that Asher hadn’t actually texted her boyfriend when she told her that she had, but she’d still assumed that Asher had walked the two blocks over to the local pub where Gavin would’ve been hanging out with his friends and had him walk her home to be safe.

“Asher, explain.”

“I took a car home, okay? I didn’t text him. I just went home alone.”

“Well, I’ll lecture youlateron walking these streets alone at night when we have a perfectly good system to avoid that, because something’s clearly going on here. What happened? If you didn’t even see him last night, why are you ending it?”

“It’s been three months, Linden.”

“I know.”

“It’s not working. I just don’t… I don’t feel that thing.”

“That thing?”

“The thing you should feel for someone right around now. Maybe it’s not love, but you’re on your way there. Hell, Melinda and Kyle, Monica and Bridgette, and even Sophie and Bryce, a little, all said that they loved each other sooner than that. Sophie and Bryce technically met a year before, but they weren’t in touch, so I’m not counting that time.”

“You can’t compare what you have with Gavin to them. Besides, lesbians usually move faster. There are many stereotypes about that.”

“I just know, Linden.”

“That it’s not there with you two?” she asked.

Asher nodded.

“I’m sorry, Ash. I thought things were good with you two. I guess this explains why you didn’t get my joke text this morning.”

“Joke text?” Asher asked.

“When I asked about him keeping you up late.”

“Oh,” Asher said, looking away for a moment. “Yeah. I wasn’t really in the mood.”

“Sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay. Not your fault. I’m kind of tired of this, you know?”

“Of what?”

“Dating and it going nowhere. Can we just talk about something else, though?”

“Yeah, sure,” she said, worried about her friend now. “You know, the Dallas office opens in a few months.”

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