Page 13 of Checked Out by the Grinch
The pipes shake as the water is cut off and the sound of damp footsteps patter along the hardwood floors in the back room. This place reminds me a lot of my aunt’s cabin back in the day. The one she lived in before she came to stay with my uncle and I. It’s small and minimal, but the homemade touches make the place a home.
“Sorry about that. I needed to get my nerves back intact.”
I swallow hard as she steps out into the living room, her hair still tied in a towel, a long T-shirt hanging to her knees, her hard nipples poking through the thin fabric. “Yeah, no worries. I just picked up my mess and grabbed a glass of water. You want tea or anything?”
“Yeah, actually. Tea sounds nice,” she moves into the kitchen, hips swaying, “but I’ll make it. You’re my guest. Plus, you got way more than you bargained for tonight. It’s the least I can do.”
I laugh and settle down at the kitchen table. “Yeah, not sure tea’s gonna cover this kind of thing. I need more.”
“More?” She smiles sweetly, filling the tea kettle. “Like you want a sandwich too?”
“I’m thinking maybe a fight with a bear just to round things out.”
“Oh.” She smiles and pulls two mugs down from the cabinet above the sink. “Well, we can leave the door open tonight and see what wanders in.”
I like her quick humor.
“Well, it probably won’t be worse than your ex. I know I should be delicate here, but that guy sucks. Not sure what you saw in him.”
Her back stiffens, but she doesn’t turn around. “Trust me, I’ve been wondering that for the past three years. Truthfully, I’m convinced all guys are the same at this point.”
“Oh, I refuse to be lumped into a category with that guy.”
“I get that some are worse than others, but it seems you all have the same playbook.”
Now I’m insulted. “How’s that?”
She tilts her head to the side and situates her hand on her hip. “Really?”
“Really what?”
The kettle bubbles louder and she lifts it off the heat before it has a chance to whistle. “I don’t know… it’s just that in my experience, men are all really great the first few months, they get you sucked in, make you think they’re sweet, romantic, and they want all the same things, then they slam you with the truth.”
“And what’s the truth?”
She pours the hot water evenly between the two mugs and pulls down a box of tea from the side cabinet. “The truth is they were never really that guy to begin with. It’s like you’re all wearing costumes, and the second you know you’ve got a girl hooked, you drop the act.”
“Well damn,” I say, taking the mug from her small hand. There’s a Christmas goose on the front of it with a red bow around its neck. “I’m not wearing a costume. I’m here because I want to be. Trust me, no one could convince me to do something I really didn’t want to do.”
She watches me for a beat, studying my face as though she’s a human lie detector. “I guess that’s the scary part. Sometimes, the costumes are really good.”
“I’m sorry you’ve been hurt, but all guys aren’t bad.”
“Yeah?” She tilts her head to the side. “And why didn’t your past relationships work? Even your aunt thinks you’re a Grinch.”
“Last I checked, she was still saying that lovingly,” I say with a smirk. “In my life, I’ve been in two serious relationships.” I take a sip of the chamomile tea. “The first one ended because I was too closed off. I couldn’t talk about my feelings at all, andshe got tired of guessing. The second one, I went into it thinking I’d learned my lesson. I tried opening up more and more, kept trying to be the kind of guy I thought she wanted, but… it fell apart. She said it felt like I was performing, like I wasn’t genuine. Looking back, maybe I was. I hadn’t found the real me yet. The person I’m most comfortable being.”
She leans against the counter, arms folded, but her posture’s softer now. “And did you wear a costume for this performance?” A smile lifts her cheeks.
“No costume, but a shield for sure.” I shrug. “I swore off women after that and started doing the things that made me feel like me. I did more fishing and spent more time with the family. I figured maybe I was meant to be alone, and I have been for the last few years. Then I saw you.”
Her cheeks pink. “What about me?”
“You remind me of me. Strong-willed, driven, determined to fix everything even if it kills you. I guess I respect that kind of tenacity.”
She raises her eyes to mine, and for a second, neither of us speaks. “I don’t want to be strong willed. I want to let go.”
“I think we all want to let go every once in a while.” My gaze meets hers. “Like earlier, with your ex… I wanted to let go.”
