Page 29 of Only for the Week
“Turtles? I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Turtles are probably one of the most adorable animals to exist. Especially sea turtles, their shells are so beautiful.”
“And hit me with an animal fact because I know you want to.”
“Oh, well, I fuck with sea turtles heavy because they’re loners. They actually rarely interact with each other unless they’re mating and I respect that, because if you’re not clapping these cheeks why are you in my space?”
“Wowww, you said close the door on your way out.”
“Periodt. Not you, though. I might like you in my space just a little bit. For now.”
“Only a little bit? I gotta work on that.”
“There’s always room for improvement.”
“Noted. Do you consider yourself a loner forreal? You don’t come across that way to me.”
“Oh, but I am. My circle is very small. Outside of Ri, Evie, and Dani, I’m friendly with the other doctors at my practice but that’s about it. I’m what I like to call an extroverted introvert. Yes, I know‘ambivert’is a word, but I like my way better. I can be very social but I’m mainly only that way with my friends and when my social battery dies, it dies.”
“Damn, so me and the guys aren’t your friends?”
“Arnold definitely isn’t my friend, not anymore. Micah and Christian, yeah, okay. I hang out with them. But I didn’t see you hitting me up for shit prior to this trip, sir.”
He rolls his eyes. “I had my reasons for that.”
“And what were they? Because after we met the first time you kept your distance and I thought, damn, he really doesn’t fuck with me. When we planned the engagement party together, I thought we had fun but even then you were distant. This new version of you that wants to dick me down and spend time with me? It’s taken some getting used to.”
“It’s not a new version of me. It’s the real me. I’m just not holding back anymore.”
“Why were you in the first place?”
“Maybe one day I’ll tell you. Just know, you’ve never been the problem.”
I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear that until he said it. I want to press him for the details but I don’t want to push him past his limits. I’ll let him tell me when he’s ready. I pout my lips and nod my head. “Hmm, okay. Fine. Keep your secrets.”
“Thank you. And I get what you were saying, too. I love spending time with my friends and family. I’m always down for an adventure with them, but I’m really in my bag when I can just zone out and work on a project by myself. Conferences, interviews, and things like that? Completely drain me.”
“See, look at that. You’re more like a sea turtle than you thought.”
“Who would’ve thought?”
“The more you know,” I say, spreading my hands out to represent a rainbow. He tickles the inside of my thigh, making me bend over with laughter.
“You know you can swim with sea turtles here, right? Is that on the agenda for this week?”
My smile drops and I tear my eyes away from him. “It somehow didn’t make the cut.”
He cuts his eyes over to me and lets them linger before turning his attention back to the road. “Can I ask what’s up with you and your sister? I know you said it’s not about Arnold, but what is it about? Because you can’t tell me something isn’t up.”
I shift in my seat so that my right knee is up against the door with my foot under my ass. “Ri is my best friend, or at least she used to be. I don’t know—shit between us has been weird for a minute now, before she started dating Arnold, but her being with him has personified it. I don’t get it.”
“You don’t wanna ask her?”
“I have asked her. She insists that I’m reading everything wrong and that we have no issues, but it doesn’t feel that way.”
I keep making the excuse for her that wedding planning is just stressing her out, but that excuse is paper thin and the words on the page fade more and more with every shot she takes at me.
“It doesn’t look that way either.”
