Page 57 of A Me and Him Thing
He stops pacing, then faces me. “Did you take creative writing in college?”
His question throws me. So random. “What?”
“Did you?” he insists.
“Yes.”
“Creative-writing teachers always harp on one thing, over and over. They instruct students to never tell their story, but to show their story. Don’t tell the reader a character is cold, show them being cold by having their teeth chatter or having them shiver. It’s a more powerful story that way, like painting a picture inside the reader’s mind.”
His voice. It paints pictures in my head. By his tone, he could’ve just recited his wedding vows. “Where are you going with this, Ren?”
“I don’t want to tell you my story. I want to show it to you. I think it will help you understand me and where I’m coming from.”
“How?”
“Come with me today.”
I can’t hide my surprise. “I thought Sunday was your family day.”
“It is. Join me. By the end of the day, you’ll know everything you need to know.”
I’m quiet as my thoughts whirl. I cross my arms and hold my elbows tight against my sides. A defensive move, perhaps. By seeing what he wants to show me, I will be letting him into my heart just a little bit more. I’m not sure it’s a wise move.
“I promise,” Ren tells me with an alert gaze and a steady voice, “all of your questions will be answered. If you still want to know more after that, I’ll answer anything you ask on the way home. Just give me a chance to show you my life.”
His eyes narrow while mine remain wide. The floor between us feels like a great divide, keeping us apart by some sort of invisible line Ren has constructed. My hands tremble, and my stomach churns. I’m petrified of what he wants to show me. There’s no coming back from this. Our idyllic months of seeing one another are over. Reality is about to invade.
He’s right, though. He could sit here and tell me about his life all day. It won’t have the same effect as seeing it firsthand.
There’s some reason he thinks we can’t be together. I can’t even begin to fathom what it is. I search my mind for possibilities and come up blank. What are the usual things that keep people apart? Race and religion are the only two things that come to mind. As far as I know, neither one is an issue for us. Perhaps his family will object to me being a part of his life for some weird reason. I have no idea. I’m grasping.
If I go with him today, I will become invested. I won’t simply know about his life, I will have experienced it. I’ll empathize with him. Maybe I’ll accept things about him that I wouldn’t normally accept. That scares me.
I agree to it anyway. He’s opening up to me, offering to share his secrets. That’s what I wanted. I won’t turn him away. “Okay,” I say quietly. “I’ll go with you.”
“Thank you. You won’t regret it.” His lips press together with determination.
I hope not. “Ren, you said your explanation would be hard for me to hear. Just how difficult is today going to be?”
“Harder than you think. If you want to walk away right now, I’ll understand.”
I could leave right now. Erase Ren Chambers from my heart. Run away. Forget about him.
My strong feelings for him keep me rooted to the spot. This is the man who made me homemade chicken noodle soup when he thought I was sick. This is the man who went with me to Quinn’s baby shower so I didn’t have to go alone. This is the man who still liked me even after I shared all of my ugly truths. This is the man who has been my tribe, constantly filling me with positive thoughts, making me feel good about myself.
There’s a reason I’ve fallen for him. I love him. He’s kind and tender and funny.
Except he hasn’t made one single joke today. Not one. He’s dead serious.
And that scares me the most of anything.
Chapter Sixteen
WE DRIVE DOWNI-5 for quite some time until we reach an exit for the sleepy little town of Canby, Oregon. The tension in the car is thick. I can physically feel how nervous and tense Ren is by his unnatural stillness and smooth, expressionless features, which only increases my apprehension. What am I getting myself into?
I trust Ren, and that’s the only reason I’m here.
We pass through the city center, then Ren turns onto a country highway. After passing orchards of walnut trees and crossing over a few bridges, he finally turns off the highway. A tree-lined drive takes us to a sprawling ranch-style home perched on a large lot with forested acreage surrounding it.
