Page 53 of An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love
But Daniel gently nudges me and tilts his head toward a nearby bench. I follow and sit beside him. My drink sends beads of condensation between my fingers.
“Enjoying your first shuffleboard experience?”
I nod.Other than the shuffleboard part, it’s great.“Thanks for bringing me.”
“Has it helped you take your mind off things?”
“You know what? It has.”
“Good.” He stretches both arms along the back of the bench. I instinctively straighten so I don’t accidentally rest my shoulders against his arm.
“So.” As the words leave my mouth, my brain begs,Don’t say it. “Amanda mentioned that it’s been a while since you’ve dated.”Annnnd I said it.I fumble to recover, adding, “Me too. So, not that it’s weird or anything. And not that this is a date.”
My words hang in the air. I wish, how I wish, I could shove them back in my mouth. The silence between us lingers for so long that I consider standing up and walking away. It wasn’t even a question, it was just a statement that somehow managed to be nosy and inappropriate. I slurp the rest of my watered-down drink.
“Well,” Daniel begins thoughtfully, “I s’pose that is true. My ex and I broke up about a year ago, and I haven’t exactly been out there, if you know what I mean.” His gaze slides toward me.
“I do know. How did it end between you two? If you don’t mind me asking.”
He tilts his head back and exhales a little puff of air. “Nothing dramatic. Kelly moved to New York for a job. We’d been together for a couple years at that point, so we tried to keep it going. Didn’t work, though.”
“Long distance.” I nod sympathetically, though I haven’t actually been in a long-distance relationship myself. “Sounds hard.”
“Yeah. Hard to keep the spark going over FaceTime. We tried to fly out to see each other every month or so, but.” He shrugs. “It wasn’t working out.”
I wonder if there’s something more in his nonchalant tone, some bitterness or hurt. But I suppose when it comes to breakups, there’s always something more there. We all have our secret aches.
And then, as I gaze down into the ice in my cup, another meaning to his words creeps up on me. He’s been burned by a long-distance relationship. He’s not going to want to try that again.
Not that we’re doing anything here. But now I know for sure that there is notherethere. It would be impossible.
He doesn’t return the line of questioning, and I’m glad. I don’t want to talk to him about Alex. I wish I hadn’t asked about his past.
We talk about light topics for the next ten minutes, mostly about how he knows Jones and some of the other friends here, and then I decide to make my exit.
“Thanks again for the invite,” I say after summoning an Uber.
“Sure I can’t drive you home?” Daniel asks, hands in his pockets. The party is still in full swing around him, the band cranking it up as the hour grows later.
“It’s okay, you stay and enjoy. I have a lot to do tomorrow, so.” I feel like the spark I’d felt an hour ago has disappeared completely. I doused it out by asking about his ex. Now we both know nothingcan happen between us, and the air feels flat. I wonder if he feels it too.
“Well, hey, remember to let me know about the floors. We can set a date for me to come by and help you out.”
Oh, right. I’d almost forgotten about that. I feel a tiny flare of something again, if only because I’ll be spending more time with him. Silly, but I can’t help it.
“I will.”
I say a quick goodbye to Amanda and the birthday boy, and then slip into the waiting car.
Chapter 20
We’re going to Foxy’s.” I burst into Gramps’s room. He doesn’t even startle, just looks up from his physics book in mild surprise.
“Good morning,” he says. “Don’t you want to have breakfast first?”
I’m a little insulted by this, given that it’s past nine in the morning. Has he not noticed that I’ve been waking up early for the past week?
“I already had breakfast downstairs.”
