Page 81 of Catch Me
He laughed and crouched on the other side of the pit. “Jonathan, huh? Somehow, that makes sense.”
“Yeah, he has two and a half kids, one dog, one cat, a two-story house, and he stays fit by swimming or jogging. Occasionally, he uses that Bowflex he ordered from a Facebook ad and keeps in his garage.”
“Next to the Camry he drives to work so he can crunch numbers in an office.”
“And wears cargo shorts when he mows the lawn.”
“Don’t tell me they’re camo.”
“Oh, they’re camo.”
He groaned, and I rolled my lips to keep from smiling.
“This guy definitely has a recliner,” he said.
“I have a recliner in my room.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I’ll show you.”
“Okay.” He reached out and rolled one of the logs I’d set up perfectly. “Oops.”
“Is this how you are with your friends?” His brow furrowed and he looked down at the wood, so I tried to explain. “Fun, playful, sarcastic, talkative.”
“I used to be.”
“Not anymore?”
“Honestly, I don’t know if I have friends anymore. Last time I was with them, I got uncomfortable because of their conversations. They’re what I used to be, I guess.”
“You look sad about it.”
“It’s more that I don’t know where I go from here. Or with who.”
“I’m your friend.”
He met my eyes. “I thought you didn’t want to be.”
“That was when you were a dick. You’re still a dick, but differently.”
“Thanks for that.”
“I like to keep things real. We should go check out the lake before it gets dark. It’s only a mile away. Tessa is gonna be pissed that she can’t go in and freeze to death.”
“Good thing she has you to take care of her.”
“It’s what I do best.”
I stood and offered him my hand. He took it and let me pull him up, then I dropped it back to my side before I led the way to the water.
*****
I didn’t know if we were both stalling or if I was just overthinking. We’d been by the fire for a while, and the moon was high. I was pretty tired and I’d seen him yawn a couple of times, but neither of us moved.
“Are you an only child?” he asked.
“Yup, just like you.”
