Page 23 of Give In To Love
“You really like that boy, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “I tried not to. But I just can’t help it.”
That wasn’t true, though, was it? I hadn’t really fought against it. Only pulled back so I wouldn’t freak Jimmy out. Maybe I shouldn’t be crushing on him because he was my roommate, but that part didn’t really bother me. Besides, like Jimmy said about his shake last night, I liked what I liked.
“You always were a sucker for the sad ones.”
I stiffened at that. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Relax. It’s not a bad thing. Your strength has always been in your compassion. Just make sure you’re not so focused on saving him that you stop taking care of yourself.”
“He doesn’t need saving. He just needs to see his own worth.”
“And you’re going to be the one to show him?” She raised her eyebrow as she sipped her water. She knew me so well. I did want that. I think I’d wanted it since the first time I met him in the forest.
“He’s my roommate, Ma. Right now, I just want him to be my friend. I don’t know if there’ll ever be more to it than that.”
“That boy’s never going to know what hit him. There’s no stopping you when you’ve put your mind to something.”
“Maybe. But Jimmy’s different. He’s…special. He doesn’t need me to lay on the charm. He just needs someone to be kind to him. The quiet type of kindness that isn’t in words but in actions. He needs someone who listens, not just to what he says, but to what he doesn’t say. Because he doesn’t speak a lot, but if you listen, everything you need to know is there.”
She stared at me long and hard. “You really do have it bad.”
“Yeah, maybe.” I shrugged as I sipped my water, knowing it was true but unwilling to do anything to pull it back or rein it in. I wasn’t sure I could, even if I wanted to.
“I’d tell you to be careful, but that would be a waste of my words.”
“Yup,” I said, popping thePand flashing her a grin. I finished the rest of the water, then stood, holding the empty cup out to her. “Now, why don’t you go inside and let me finish the yard?”
“You don’t have to do that. I’m perfectly capable of?—”
“You’re more than capable. That’s not the point. Let me do something nice for you, Ma.”
She took the cup from my hand and stood. “You’re a good boy, Tommy.”
“Only because I have a mom who taught me how to be.”
“Okay, now you’re laying it on thick,” she said, patting my cheek. “I’ll take the help, but you’re staying for dinner.”
“Deal.”
* * *
My schedule became increasingly moredifficult to manage with the start of rehearsals forRent, but I was used to that. Between my activities and my brothers’, we’d spent most of our lives on the move from one thing to the next, and as a result, none of us had ever figured out what to do with downtime on the rare occasions we had it. I’d always liked being busy. On the go. Energized by the connections I made with the other people involved. Only now, that meant less time with Jimmy.
Which was fine. We were roommates. Moving toward friendship, I hoped. We didn’t need to see each other every moment of the day. It hadn’t been like that since we’d moved into the dorm anyway. We both had classes, homework, and other priorities. Except it felt like something shifted between us in the last week. It wasn’t a seismic shift—Earth hadn’t tilted on its axis—it was more like a gentle slide. He’d become less guarded, opening small bits of himself and letting me see who he was inside. As a result, the crush I was harboring had only intensified. The more he revealed, the more I wanted to know.
My rehearsal schedule put all of that on hold. It was my senior year, and I was playing a role I’d wanted to play for years. I was grateful for the opportunity, yet…for the first time in my life, a small part of me resented being busy. At least I could look forward to seeing him in our Ad Psych class. But when I showed up for class on Thursday, he wasn’t there. Ten minutes into class, I’d completely missed everything the professor had said because I’d been so focused on wondering what happened to Jimmy. I finally took my phone out and sent him a text.
Hey! You ok?
I stared at my phone, willing him to respond. I was relieved when I didn’t have to wait long.
Sunshine
Not feeling well
I frowned at the text. He’d seemed fine when I’d seen him briefly before bed last night, but I’d been up before he was awake this morning, so I hadn’t spoken to him.
