Page 30 of Only One Bed: Anthology Vol. 1
Maybe if Olive and I had talked, had figured out exactly what was going on between us, I would be able to meet their stares confidently. I could stand here and say “I’m crazy about her. I want to be with her. What you saw wasn’t some fling.”
But we didn’t talk.
We just fucked.
And if I announce how I feel to her family, only for Olive to come out of the bathroom and brush off the experience, I’m not sure I could pretend to be okay.
So, like a coward, I run.
Literally.
“Going for a jog,” I mutter, and sprint down the stairs.
* * *
The milesthat disappear under my feet don’t help. At one point I wonder if I can run all the way back to Raleigh. That thought doesn’t last long.
Even if what comes next hurts, I can’t give up any more moments with Olive.
When I get back to the house, most everyone seems to have made themselves scarce. Except for Tim, who lays on the couch with a washcloth over his eyes.
“Your eyes didn’t actually burn,” I feel the need to point out.
“It soothes me.” Tim can be such a drama king when he wants. “You’re not my only friend, you know?”
I flinch at his words.
Is he cutting me off?
Tim isn’t my only friend either, but he is my closest. The first I call to talk about big life changes. The one I’ve stayed connected with no matter how many miles fell between us.
But maybe I should’ve seen this coming.
“I know,” I say, struggling to keep the hurt from my voice.
“But you’re the only one she asks about.”
For a moment, I wonder if I misheard him.
Is he saying…
“We video chat,” he continues when I don’t respond. “Pretty much every other week. Just to catch up. She tells me all those gruesome ER stories. I tell her about my job and what Caroline is up to.” Tim sighs, sitting up and pulling the washcloth off his eyes to meet mine. Then his gaze flicks toward the ocean view, and I notice a familiar shape out on the deck. “Inevitably, in every single conversation, she’ll askthequestion.”
“What question?”
My friend, which I’m pretty sure he still is, smirks. “I don’t know if she thinks I’m oblivious or what. I mean, come on. Six years? But she always throws it in like it’s an afterthought. Like I won’t notice she’s askingagain.”
“What question, Tim?” I remind myself it’s not good to strangle my friends, even when I really want to.
The guy affects an overly feminine voice and mimes flipping hair over his shoulder. “And how is that buddy of yours, Theo, doing?”
Does North Carolina get earthquakes? Because I think the ground beneath my feet just shifted.
“And you, big idiot that you are, always get this super stupid doe eyed look on your face whenever I mention her. But it still took yousix yearsto come on vacation with us? I practically had to arrange our trip in your backyard. Matchmaking is exhausting! Can you just go make an honest woman out of my hellion sister?” He collapses back on the couch, replacing his washcloth. “And learn to lock a fucking door!”
A grin breaks across my face, and I don’t hesitate.
The glass door gives a muted swish when I push it open.
