Page 28 of The Now in Forever
Sasha’s cheeks turn a light shade of pink. “I’m a lit major. It’s?—”
Lenny bursts from the kitchen with an unopened can of Rainier and hands it to Sasha. “Are you quoting Emily Dickinson again? We’ve talked about this… No Dickinson in the house.”
Sasha bolts from her chair. “Oh right. And I’m so obedient. ‘Since I could not stop for death‚ he kindly stopped for me.’”
Lenny chases Sasha into the living room and up the stairs.
Ed emerges from the kitchen zipping his backpack. “Got the snacks. They 're a little warm. Fridge isn’t working. Ready?”
I nod, noticing for the first time there are no lights on and remember what Ed said earlier about his power being shut off. I’m a little dazed by our entire time in this house.
As we walk out the door, Ed yells upstairs, “We’re going to the bonfire. You guys coming?”
“Later,” Lenny calls back.
I get my bike. Once Ed shuts the door, I ask, “Are Lenny and Sasha a couple?”
Ed shrugs. “Some days. They don’t believe in what you would call a typical relationship anymore. They’re not monogamous, but they enjoy each other’s company.”
We walk down the sidewalk.My mouth feels dry. “Do you have a girlfriend or girlfriends like that?”
Ed looks me in the eye. “No. When I’m with someone, it’s just me and them.”
Relief washes over me.
Ed keeps going. “When I was little, my dad cheated on my mom. And one day when I was still a baby, he left with one of his other girls. I never got to meet him.”
“Ever?”
Ed shrugs. “It’s okay. I don’t even remember him. Except…”
He stops himself and rubs his hand on the back of his neck.
“What?” I ask.
He gives me a sheepish smile. “I have this one memory of him holding me—it must be from a picture I saw. He left when I was like two. But I can smell his leather jacket and his sandalwood cologne, feel the cold metal of his ring on my leg, the rain splattering against the window.” He shakes his head. “It’s not like that’s what Lenny and Sasha are doing; they both know they sleep with other people. It’s just open relationships aren’t really my thing.”
“Mine either.” I smile, warmth spreading down my neck. I take a deep breath, gathering my courage. “Hey, what did they mean, you're leaving?”
“Oh…” Ed runs a hand over his shaved head. “I got into a writer’s residency in Crested Butte, Colorado.”
“That’s… Wow. That’s amazing.”
“Yeah, I leave tomorrow.” Ed puts his skateboard down on the ground and starts to skate toward the water.
Tomorrow? I just met him, and now he has to leave.
CHAPTER 6
MONDAY, JUNE 24TH
Ed approaches the bar. “I didn’t know you were here. Do you want to be alone?”
I did, before. But now that he’s standing here, I really don’t. “No. Have a seat, if you want.”
Kyle comes over, and Ed orders a beer and a turkey sandwich.
I idly stir the lemon in my drink, thinking about all the comments Ed left on my manuscript. If it was printed in red ink the way we did it in my Intro to Long Form Narrative class, it would’ve been bloodier than the murder in my book.
