Page 47 of Fun Together
“Well, I got acclimated and now I’m hot.”
He smirks and nods toward the front of the shop. “Why do you keep looking up at the counter?”
“I wasn’t looking up there.”
“Do you know him?”
“Not really. He’s working sometimes when I come in.”
“He seems cool. We talked for a few minutes when I was ordering. Found out we went to the same summer camp back in elementary school.”
“That reminds me, I was supposed to be buyingyoucoffee.” I got here and he had already ordered our drinks. He got a large coffee for himself and a vanilla latte for me.
“I got here early and figured I’d just go ahead since they were so busy.”
“So how did you even find that out? About the summer camp?”
“I commented on one of his tattoos and said it looked like the logo for a camp I went to as a kid. It’s an outline of a mountain range. Turns out he went to the same camp. I asked him if he still hikes there, and he mentioned he’s going next weekend.” He takes a sip of his coffee. “Small world.”
“Interesting. So he likes hiking?” I don’t get hiker vibes from him. He looks like the kind of guy who sits on a park bench while pretending to readThe Bell Jar, but he’s cute so you kind of don’t care.
“I guess so.” He taps my foot with his. “Do you have a little crush?”
“On him? No.”
He leans forward and places a hand under his chin. “You seem very interested in his hobbies.”
“I’m interested in getting this resume done. We’re supposed to be coming up with my top five skills.”
I delete theCommunicationbullet point.
“You seem like you want to talk to him.”
He’s like a dog with a bone. I fiddle with my straw, squeaking it up and down in my plastic cup. “I can’t.”
“Why can’t you?”
“I’ll be weird about it.I don’t know how to talk to people.”
“You talk to me.”
“That’s because I know you.”
“Let’s practice. Pretend I’m him.” He leans back in his chair. “Ask me out.”
I shift in my seat. “I think you’ve done enough pretend stuff for me. Plus, I literally don’t know where to begin. I’ve been scrambling for a conversation starter and the only thing I can come up with is that I should ask him if he likes coffee.”
He smiles. “He might find that charming.”
I give him a skeptical look. “More like embarrassing.”
I can tell I’ve given him some kind of quest he wishes to complete, but I stop him from saying anything else by asking, “Now, what do you think about collaborative and adaptable as potential skills?”
Thankfully, this gets us back to the task at hand and we spend the next ten minutes working through the rest of the document. I’m pleased with what we’ve put together and already feel more confident, like I might actually have a shot at this.
“How long have you been coming to this coffee shop?” Eli asks.
“A couple of years. Plus, I can walk here now since I moved, and the coffee is really good.”
