Page 50 of Girls Will Be Girls
“Okay.” I mock him.
We both grin at each other.
“So, do you love your job? Politics?” I ask.
“Love’s a strong word.” He jokes.
I laugh. “Why do you do it then?”
He shrugs. “It’s what I’ve always done.”
“Oh!” I exclaim and hit the water with my palm, I think startling him a little. “I forgot to tell you.”
“Tell me what?” He grins.
“I met another political journalist today, and he looked eerily like you.”
His smile drops a little, and his eyebrows rise. “Really?”
“Yeah,” I say. “I actually thought it was you, at first.”
“Oh?”
“Don’t worry, I’d never let him be my fake fiancé.” I joke.
“I should hope not.” He smiles, but for some reason, the emotion doesn’t reach his eyes. “So, he was here for work then?” He asks.
“He said something about a big meeting today, so I think?” I run my palm over the water. “I didn’t ask, but I assume it’s the same thing as you, right?”
I study his serious expression.
This isn’t the reaction I was expecting.
“What are the chances?” I say in a joking tone.
“Yeah.” He laughs humorlessly. “Did you catch his name?”
“Um, Otto, I think?”
Lou nods, his smile now completely gone from his face. He stands up and, without looking at me, steps out of the water. His back is still turned as he mumbles, “I’ll see you later”, before grabbing his towel and walking off into his dark house, leaving me completely alone and blindsided, just the bubbles playing me a somber soundtrack.
9
GIRL MATH IS WHEN HE AVOIDS YOU BUT IT'S OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS SO IT DOESN'T COUNT
I thinkLou is avoiding me.
After that intensely strange moment in the hot tub two days ago, he’s gone completely AWOL.
I’m still not sure what happened that night. I think it’s safe to assume he knows that guy from the hike. Why else would he have such a weird reaction to me mentioning him? What I’m not sure about is why he hadsucha weird reaction and why that warrants him avoiding me now.
I keep feeling worried that he’s mad at me, that I shouldn’t have said anything, but then I get mad at him because how was I supposed to know mentioning some random other journalist I met on my hike would make him freak out to the point that he’s now disappeared.
When his lodge was dark all day yesterday and then he didn’t turn up at the bar last night, I asked Willie if he’d seen him, and he just said“Not yet”and shrugged.
I know he hasn’t left. He’s meant to be here for two weeks, and his car was still parked in front of his room this morning. Which means he’s just straight up avoiding me, and after stewing in worry all day yesterday that he hates me, now I hatehima little.
With one last peek through the window on his side to find nothing but an empty room as always, I head out to find a tasty breakfast. I’m sick of feeling guilty when I didn’t do anything, so I’m deciding to let it go now.
