Page 46 of Catching Feelings

I glance down at his crotch, and when I see his impressive package twitch, I snap my gaze back to his face.

“I take it you’re feeling better if you can tease me about it.”

“Who says I’m teasing?” He picks up our paper trays and napkins from the table and throws them in the trash. “You ready?”

“As long as you’ve had enough to eat.”

“For now.”

When we’re back on the highway heading south, he turns down the music. “So tell me about your family.”

“Not much to tell.”

“Only child?”

“Middle child. I have an older sister and younger brother. Parents are still married and live in the home I grew up in.”

“Where is that?”

“Springfield, Mass. It’s kind of a rough city but we lived in a safe middle class neighborhood.”

“What do your parents do?”

“My dad works in insurance and my mom is a substitute teacher.”

“She always done that?”

“Yeah. She liked having a flexible schedule when we were kids and still enjoys the freedom of not going into work if she doesn’t feel like it.”

“Those are definite perks. Are you close with your family?”

I squirm in my seat and let out a sigh as I stare straight ahead at the silver minivan in front of us. I don’t like talking about my family, not even to Kendall and Riley.

They know the basics, but not the harsh truth of the dynamics of the family. I’m the neglected middle child. The caretaker of everyone, yet no one ever took care of me. Not then. Not now.

But if I voice how I really feel, it’ll make me sound like a selfish brat, so I give Miles my canned response anytime anyone asks me about my family.

“My sister was a competitive cheerleader and gymnast, so my mom had to take a lot of time from work to travel with her. She made it to the Olympic trials when she was eighteen but didn’t make the cut. It was a super competitive year. My brother was never big into school but did well in vocational school. He’s a mechanic in Springfield.”

We drive in silence for a few minutes before Miles responds.

“That doesn’t answer my question though.”

“Are we close?” I pick at my fingernails and contemplate telling him the whole truth. “It’s hard to be too close when our lives have taken us in different directions. We get together for the holidays though.”

So much for the whole truth. It would be freeing to let it all out, but that’s not who I am. Nothing good would come of it, so I keep my personal feelings to myself.

Thankfully, Miles doesn’t pressure me for more details. He pulls off the highway before our exit and I’m about to ask him where we’re going when he turns into a parking lot.

The giant ice cream cone in front of the mom-and-pop stand is a welcome reprieve from my thoughts.

“Still hungry?” I ask.

“Always.” He winks at me before getting out of the truck. We stand in line reading the long list of flavors. “What’s your poison, Doc?”

I scan the list and only one flavor suits my mood right now.

“Rocky Road.”

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