I looked down. It was silent for a moment before he spoke. “Too many to choose from?”
“No, it’s not that. I just kind of want to keep it for myself.”
He tilted his head back in agreement. “I get that. So tell me—” There was a knock at the door, and it was the mechanic who had been working on my car.
“Hey, your car is gonna need the transmission fluid flushed out,” he said while wiping black gunk off his hands onto a rag that I could only guess at one time was white.
“And that’s going to cost me how much?” I picked at a hangnail.
“Eighty-five.”
I wondered if my gulp was audible. “Eighty-five?”
“Yup. But then she should be good.” Did he mean “she” as in the car or me? I gave him my debit card and felt myself cringe a bit when he swiped it. Bye-bye paycheck.
“Hey Brandon, why don’t you come help me?” he said just as Brandon was getting another cup of water.
“Now?” Brandon’s said.
“We’ll get her out of here quicker if you help.” The mechanic took a cup of water for himself. Brandon looked at me just briefly, and my toes curled inside my shoes.
“Sure thing,” he said to the mechanic. Before he left the room, he grabbed the Poe book and handed it to me.
“Feel free to dog ear the corner of the page your favorite poem is on.”
Fifty-five minutes, four short stories, and twelve Poe poems later, Brandon popped back into the office. “You’re all set.” He handed me my keys, which felt a little grimy.
“Great, thanks.” I stood up, and we both stood there not knowing what to do next. I felt weird for a moment, like I knew too much about him, even though I knew very little. Just knowing that his younger brother died, he helped his mom with expenses, he worked a few days a week helping at his uncle’s shop, he loved Edgar Allan Poe — I felt like a secret detective gaining all these clues about him but he knew nothing about me. But that’s how I wanted it to be. Kind of. Sort of.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” he finally said.
“Oh, okay.” I followed behind him again.
“You know, it’d be better if you walk beside me instead of behind me.”
“Oh, okay,” I said again as I moved up beside him, but far enough away that there was a distance. Always a distance. We arrived at my car, and I thanked him again.
“Listen, this is kind of weird.” He looked to the ground. “I should’ve asked this before, like, on the car ride or something because now I feel rushed, and that’s just weird,” He kicked some pebbles, and they scattered around my foot. “See my brother, Nicholas, the one who wrote the letter…” My heart skipped, and I looked to the ground. “He wants to meet you.”
“He what?” My voice rang through the air.
“Yeah. I told him about what happened.”
“Everything?” I hadn’t even told Brandon everything.
“We kind of have this rule in my house. Complete disclosure, my mom calls it. Anyway, I told him what happened to the balloon and the letter, and how you got it back for us, and… he wants to meet you.”
I felt like a snowman on a seventy-degree day. “I don’t know.”
“Listen, I know it’s a bit weird, but I mean, the kid’s been through a lot. We all have.” We met each other’s eyes when he spoke the last sentence. “He just wants to thank you. Would you consider coming over for dinner? My mom makes great lasagna.”
Before I could even think, I spoke. “Okay.”
After I responded, I don’t know what Brandon said next. There was a goodbye in there somewhere, but that’s all. I got in my car, and I looked back into the garage in my rear view mirror. Carelessly, I tossed my purse into the backseat, causing it to spill. As I twisted myself to retrieve some of its contents, I saw a cord sticking out from under the passenger seat. I pulled on it to reveal my car cell phone charger. Of course it’s there!
After I plugged the charger into my phone, I watched the little battery icon come on and begin charging. I sent a text to Zoe.
Will call u in a little while. U wont believe what happened 2 me 2nite.
Chapter Ten
“So you, like, owe me then,” Zoe said, and even over the phone I could hear the smugness in her voice.
I readjusted myself on my bed. “How do I owe you?”
“If I had put gas in your car, you would’ve driven home and never gotten to hook up with Brandon and be invited over to his house. So it’s pretty cool of me, and it was subconscious.” She snapped her gum, and it made my eardrum hurt.
“You mean unconscious. And I don’t think I want to go to his house for dinner. I mean, Zoe, what am I going to say? How am I supposed to act?” I buried my face in my pillow.
“Just, be cool.”
“Thanks, you’re so helpful,” I mumbled, my face still partly in the pillow.
“You get all rambly when you like someone, so just, you know, don’t do that.” She popped her gum.
Like someone? “What do you mean? I don’t like him.” A strange huff sound came out of me.
“Ha! Liar. Tell me what color are his eyes?”
“Soft hazel,” I replied way too quickly.
Zoe laughed. “Yup, you like him.”
Okay, so maybe Brandon did have this unpretentious, manly, magnetically attractive thing going on. So what? I mean we couldn’t, like, get involved. What an inappropriate way to start a relationship. I intruded on his life. Me being in his inner circle was never supposed to happen. If I had just been paying attention that morning on my run, I never would have even seen the stupid balloon stuck in the tree. But
