folowed me. My dinner with Eric had been thick with
tension, but with Austin at my back al I could think of was
how uncomfortable it felt to not know what to say. I sat
and warmed my hands on the cup, which was almost too
hot for comfort.
'You look pretty.'
'Thanks.'
We both sipped. Austin put his mug on the table and dug
in his pocket for something he held out to me. 'Here.'
I didn't take it at first. 'What is it?'
I didn't take it at first. 'What is it?'
He held it out again. 'Just something they were giving out
at the bank when I signed up for a new checking account.
Made me think of you.'
'Is it money?' I took it, not money but a smal clear plastic bottle.
Hand sanitizer, the bottle imprinted with the bank logo.
Just a smal bottle, only enough for one or two uses. I
clutched it in my palm and didn't know what to say.
'I thought you'd laugh,' Austin said when I didn't make a
sound. 'Shit, Paige. I'm sorry. I just thought—'
'I know what you thought. Why you thought it.' I tucked it into my bag.
'It's just…you know. Your thing.'
He did know me. I hadn't believed he did. Maybe I hadn't
wanted to believe.
'Thank you.'
More awkward silence.
More awkward silence.
When he finaly spoke, it was in a man's voice and not the
familiar voice of the boy I'd falen in love with. It helped, a
little. Made him more of a stranger than he was, so I could
keep him just far enough away not to leap into his arms.
'Paige,' Austin said. 'I just wanted to tel you that I'm realy sorry.'
I didn't know I was going to touch him until it was too late
to pul back my hand. His hair was soft beneath my
fingers, and I let them drift over it and down to tug the
ponytail he'd never have worn in high school. 'Shit
happens.'
He laughed and looked down. 'Yeah. Wel, with us, a lot
of shit happened, huh?'
I took my hand away and shrugged. 'We were young.'
'Young, dumb…'
'And ful of come,' we finished together, quoting one of
our favorite movies.
It felt good to laugh with him. It had been a realy long time
It felt good to laugh with him. It had been a realy long time
since we'd sat like this. Beside me, his thigh was big and
warm. The love seat dipped from his weight, forcing me to
sit closer whether I wanted to or not. I thought I might
want to.
