Page 38 of Cruising with You

“A shower is a good idea. Do you feel good enough to try to eat something too? See if you can keep it down?”

Stomach rumbling, she smiles. “Yeah. Food actually sounds really good now.”

The banana is still resting on the nightstand, so I grab it and offer it to her. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

When she catches me staring at her mouth as she wraps her lips around it, I tear my gaze away.

“So uh…brownies, eh?”

She groans. “Don’t remind me.”

“When did you get brownies, anyway?”

“I, uh…after the public therapy session, I hunted down Gem, and we had a little chat. There was a dessert buffet, so I grabbed some on my way out. Who knew they would’ve been so lethal, right?”

“One little brownie knocked you on your ass?”

She takes another giant bite of banana while shifting her gaze from me to the rest of the room, then back at me like she can’t decide where to look.

“Technically, it was like”––she does the math in her head––“four.”

I chuckle. “Four. Good to know. Do you mind if I ask what you and Gem talked about?”

With a one-shouldered shrug, an uncomfortable Nora swallows the lump of fruit. “Just that she owes me for making us go through that mess.”

“I’m actually kind of glad we got conned into that,” I admit, surprising both of us.

Her eyes widen before she sets the banana peel on the nightstand. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I replay a few of the highlights in my head before her warm touch on my forearm brings me back to the present. “Although I’m a little offended you felt the need to run in the opposite direction as soon as it was over.”

“I’m sorry. My emotions were pretty much overflowing, and I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea or anything. Like I said, Iknow what you signed up for, and I don’t want you to think I was trying to do a bait and switch.”

“I know you wouldn’t do that, Nora.”

She scans my face before nodding in relief. “Okay, good. I would hate for you to think that I’d try to trick a guy into dating me for real or anything.”

“I trust you. Besides, Cancers aren’t known for being sneaky,” I quip.

“Is that right?”

Shrugging, I admit, “I actually have no idea. Are they?”

She laughs. “I have no idea, either. I’m still reeling from the fact that you just admitted you were glad Gem conned us into participating in the workshop. You were a great sport for opening up and everything, but….”

She doesn’t finish her sentence, so I do it for her. “But it’s not like I want anything other than brownie batter, so why waste my time looking into my past in hopes of creating a real relationship in my future?”

Her button nose scrunches up in shame, but she doesn’t deny the truth. That’s exactly what she’s wondering. Then again, I’ve been asking myself the same question ever since last night, and I haven’t been able to pinpoint an answer, so I don’t blame her for being curious.

“I think it was good to analyze my history from a different perspective,” I admit. “It also made me really think about what I want in life, and then with you winding up sick…. I dunno. I think it might be nice to have someone to rely on. That being said, I still think brownie batter is pretty satisfying, and sometimes, you have to sneak a taste before cracking some eggs with a stranger.”

She laughs. “Cracking some eggs?”

“I meant the emotional stuff,” I clarify with a grin.

“I know what you meant. And I agree. I’m always drowning in my emotions. I wish I could turn them off every once in a while instead of worrying about what comes next or how it makes me feel. I wish I could just…live in the moment for once, ya know?”

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