Page 5 of Grump

“For my Insta story.” I line up the shot just right, framing it so that Luke’s thick arm is in the shot as well as the fireplace roaring in the background. “Got it!”

I let out a sigh of relief and smile in Luke’s direction, but he’s not paying any attention. His sandwich is finished, and he’s already up and heading back toward the kitchen.

ChapterFour

Luke

I don’t meanto be such an asshole, but I haven’t had company in years, and being out in the wilderness, living on my own and off the land, hasn’t done my social skills any favors. I clench my fist against the counter, telling myself to calm the hell down. The whole reason I moved out here and started living a solitary life was because of social media. My girlfriend wouldn’t take her eyes off the screen. As hot as Jessica is, I can’t deny that there’s no way this could work between us. She’s too attached to her social image, and me? Well, I don’t have one.

Her ringtone sounds in the other room, bringing me back to the present. I shake off the ill feelings, reminding myself that Jessica isn’t my ex, before grabbing us two more beers and heading into the living room. She’s hanging up as I set the cans on the coffee table.

“Talk about timing! Thanks.” She cracks the beer open and takes a sip. “That was Mr. Riley, the owner of the Airbnb. He’s coming out in the next half-hour to open the door and deliver a spare key. I’ll have to pay a key fee.” She smiles. “Hey, that rhymes, but at least I can get out of your hair and leave you to your brooding existence.”

I flinch. “I’m not brooding.”

She rests her hand on my shoulder. Gives it a gentle shake. “Keep telling yourself that, Luke.” Her blue eyes narrow, teasing me. I’m not used to this. I used to be so witty, but now I feel like my entire world has been upended, and I don’t know how to respond to anything. “I do need one more favor, though.”

“Yeah?” I crack my own beer open. “You need a ride back to your place?”

Jessica scrunches her nose, bringing her hands to her heart. “Please?” Her exaggerated begging makes her look even more adorable. I hate that this extroverted phone-head has such an overwhelming effect on me.

“Well, I obviously can’t let you walk alone in the dark.”

“Exactly!” She tosses her hair over her shoulder and licks her lips. “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll make it all up to you.”

“How?”

“Well, I have a lot of followers. I could feature you in a post. What’s your Instagram handle?”

“I don’t have Instagram.”

Jessica nearly spits out her beer. “What? Come again.” She cups her ear with her hand. “Did I just hear you say you’renoton Instagram? Are you a TikTok kinda guy?”

“I’m a phone-free kind of guy.” The look on her face, like I just told her I don’t like puppies. “It’s not that strange. A lot of people don’t use cell phones.”

“Yeah, Mennonites.” She pushes her plate aside and crosses her legs underneath her. “How do you even know what’s going on in the world?”

I can’t decide if I should be offended or chalk this up to someone who doesn’t know any better. “I read the newspaper.”

“They still make those?” I let out a scoff, feeling my eyes narrowing. “I’m kidding, Luke. Geez, lighten up.” She’s right. When did I get so goddamn uptight? “So, you read the paper. Do you even have a laptop?”

“I don’t even have WiFi.”

Jessica’s jaw hangs open. “On purpose?”

“I don’t need it.”

“Okay, wait.” She rubs her finger against the condensation on her beer can. “What do you do if there's an emergency? If you’re out there chopping wood like a big old mountain man, and you accidentally snap off a finger?”

I scoff. “That would never happen.”

“It could.”

“Naw. It wouldn’t.”

“Well, let’s say it did.”

“But it wouldn’t.”

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