With my heart in my mouth, I type it in and click enter.
Crap. Not in word list.
“Emily?”
I glance up. John is off the phone, staring at me.
“Sorry,” I say hastily.
“It’s fine. Liam’s coming.”
I feel a rush of relief. “Thank you. That’s really nice of him. I hope he doesn’t have to come too far?”
“He’s just up the road. You want to wait in my car? It’s kind of cold out.”
“Yeah, thanks,” I say, a little awkwardly. We get inside John’s car, which, upon closer inspection, is some kind of vintage... something. It’s nice on the inside, though, and much cleaner than my car’s ever been. John gets into the driver’s seat, and for a moment we sit in silence.
“It was nice of you to stop,” I offer. “I was glad it was you and not, like, a serial killer.”
“Like the start of a bad horror movie,” John says.
“Yes, exactly!” I laugh a little, then the awkwardness descends on us again. My eyes shift to my phone. 11:16 p.m. Forty-four minutes until midnight.
I clear my throat. “Were you in Summerside for something?” I ask. Then I pause, realizing I don’t know where John lives. “Or do you live there?”
“My parents live there.”
“Oh.” Another silence falls. Seriously, could he help me out a little here? This is like part two of my awkward date with Arjun. “Do they... like living in Summerside?”
John nods. “They retired there.”
“Where did they live before?”
“Montreal.”
“Ooh.” I sit up a bit straighter. “Do they speak French?”
“My dad does. He was born in Toronto, but he mostly grew up in Quebec. And his mom’s family’s from France.”
France! I look at John with new interest. “Have you ever been there?”
“A few times.”
“And?” I press. “What’s it like?”
“It’s cool.”
I try not to roll my eyes.It’s cool.France should put that on tourism posters.
“Wait, does that mean you speak French too?” I ask. “FrenchandSpanish?”
He nods.
“Wow.” Now I’m really curious what language he thinks in. I don’t dare ask again, though. I don’t want to get another incredulous look. “That must be really helpful.”
He raises an eyebrow. “In Waldon?”
“Er—well, no, maybe not. I meant like, for traveling and stuff...” I trail off into silence, and John doesn’t say anything in response. Honestly, I don’t know why I keep trying with him.
