Page 85 of Sharkbait
“I agree.” I take in the anger that flashed on his face. As soon as I registered it, it was gone. “That said, I’m doing everything in my power to avoid that kind of lifestyle. I will not depend on a bank—or a man, for that matter—to get me where I want to go. Whatever I have—however small—will be mine.”
“Fair enough.” He nods and starts wiping down the bar. “Wheredoyou want to go?”
“Huh?”
“Is there a goal you’re working toward when it comes to marine biology?”
That’s the question, isn’t it?
I sigh. “There was.”
I trace my finger around the circle of condensation my beer has left on the bar top.
I don’t think I’m ready to admit this out loud, but a part of me felt relieved when I got that horrible email. It was almost like it let me off the hook. Took away this incessant need in me to be responsible. To always be pushing myself forward. I decided a long time ago that I wanted to work in coral conservation, but I’m having a hard time now remembering why.
I surprise myself when I say, “In a perfect world, I’d find a way to combine my love of the ocean with my love of art.”
“Wow. That’s—” He smiles. “Well, I don’t know if we can call this a perfect world, but that sounds like an exciting and worthy goal.”
“Maybe I’ll just take a gap year while I figure things out.” I laugh. “Can you call it a gap year when you’re twenty-three?”
“Sure. Why not?” he says. “I’m sure people in their thirties and forties could benefit from a gap year too. Hell, we all could!” He pauses. “Whatisa gap year anyway?”
“It’s the year some kids take between high school and college, isn’t it?”
“Sure, but take away the age element for a minute. What is it actuallyfor?”
I take a moment to think about that.
“Um. I guess it’s a period of time you take away from the hustle and grind so you can just... experience.”
My voice quiets as I realize what he’s getting at.
“If you think about it, a gap is just... space, right? We all deserve to give ourselves space.” He places his hand over mine. “Do what you gotta do and go easy on yourself. Okay?”
I look down at his thumb drawing small, comforting circles over my knuckles.
“My next step has to be finding a new place to live.”
“Really? Why?”
“I took over Calliope’s tenant agreement in the city because it’s close to the aquarium and school. But it’s right at the edge of my budget. Without my scholarship stipend, there’s no way Ican afford it anymore.” I sigh and rub my hands down my face. “I guess I’ll need to find a place in the burbs and figure out the commute somehow.”
A funny look comes over James’s face.
“What?” I ask.
“I may have a solution,” James offers as he finishes wiping down the bar. “And it involves staying in the city.”
“Dude, I told you. I can’t afford—”
“You need to move apartments. Got it,” he says. “But… you may not need to move as far out as you think.”
“But—”
“Hear me out.” He tosses a rag onto a rack of highball glasses, then grins. “I know someone who is open to a roommate. And I’m pretty sure you two would be a great fit for each other.”
ChapterTwenty-One
