Page 52 of The Hookup Situation
“Answer it,” I say. “It might be important.”
He playfully groans, but picks it up, putting it on speaker but keeping the volume low. “Asher, I’m busy.”
“You’re always busy. Or avoiding me. Which is it tonight?” His voice is smooth, teasing.
“I’m on a date.”
There’s a pause, and it’s followed by sarcastic laughter. “Right. You’re on a date. In Cozy Creek. Where the nightlife consists of that one bar.”
“I’m dead ass serious.”
“Are you going to keep her around longer than thirty days?”
I raise an eyebrow at Nick, who looks embarrassed.
“I’m literally sitting next to her right now, and you’re on speaker, so thank you,” Nick grumbles.
“Prove it.”
He looks at me. I shrug and lean in.
“Hi, Asher,” I say. “This is Julie, and I have a feeling Nick is going to beat his thirty-day deadline this time. Would you like to place a bet on it?”
Nick softly chuckles, and it eases his tension. I bump into him.
The line is silent, but I see the seconds still counting down.
Asher scoffs. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah, and our food is getting cold because we’re right in the middle of a date. So, we should probably let you go.”
“Mark your calendar,” Asher says. “Thirty days from the first date, he will try to run. Don’t let him. Nick will always have the sudden urge to reorganize his entire life or go through a mini self-discovery phase that requires him to be alone.”
“Why do I care?” I ask him. “His past relationships don’t affect us.”
“Also, that’s not entirely true and—” Nick starts.
“Remember Jessica? You suddenly had to take up rock climbing in Europe. Or Sarah? You realized meditation was the key to your problems. Then there was Emily and Tiffany and Hannah …”
“Goodbye, Asher.”
“Julie! Get my number from him and call me. I’ll talk you through every single one of his exit strategies!”
Nick hangs up, jaw clenched tight. “Sorry about him.”
“Thirty days, huh?” I tease.
“It’s not intentional. I get restless. Most people are more into me than I am them. I try to end things before someone gets hurt.”
“Should I expect you to decide to hike the Appalachian Trail in mid-October?”
He laughs.
“We’re different,” he says, then seems to catch himself. “Because it’s fake and we’re committed until November first. Already, you’re beating my records. It’s a clean ending. No need for exit strategies.”
“Right.” I do the math quickly. “That’s two weeks longer than your usual.”
“You’re right,” he admits. “I guess Asher will have to start telling my dates six weeks, going forward.”
