Hiking? Does a field trip to Central Park count?
If talking to Dean and Seb last night about their lives had made me think mine was dull, talking to Oliver felt like I hadn’t achieved anything important in my life. He was the same age as me but had nearly double the lifetime accomplishments an average 22-year-old should have to their name. It seemed there was nothing he hadn’t done.
At least there weren’t any lulls in the conversation.
“I’m studying engineering at the moment and will be moving into a house with a couple of friends after the summer,” he said, stirring the straw through his half-finished shake while I finished mine off. I nodded and listened as I sipped quietly. “Don’t worry. I’m not like those other frat house boys,” he winked.
As in he wasn’t a party boy? He respected women?
I swallowed quickly and smiled politely. “That’s good to know.”
He sipped from his straw and hummed in thought. “We should do this again sometime.”
“Oh?” I was genuinely surprised he would want to see me again considering he didn’t know that much about me. Other than what Mom might have told him before she organized this date.
“Yeah.” He flashed a lazy smile, bracing his arms on the table and moving aside his milkshake glass.
I could just see, from under the edge of my side of the table, his left leg bouncing a little in anticipation. Coming narrowly close to brushing against my own before I shifted my legs to one side.
“Maybe we could organize something this week?” he asked.
My mouth had responded before I had the chance to reconsider. Well trained, or drilled, in the art of being polite, I smiled quickly and said, “Yeah, of course. I’d like that.”
We headed back outside once we were done with our milkshakes. The summer heat hit us the second we stepped through the door. Oliver slipped his hands into his pockets, rocking on his heels when we stopped just outside the cafe.
“Thank you for the milkshake,” I smiled.
“Thank you for the company.” His hazel eyes sparkled again as he watched me. A warmth in them coated in subtle fondness. “So, I guess I’ll text you then? Maybe we could catch a movie or something?”
“I look forward to it.”
Somehow, he found it possible to smile even brighter. Looking pleased with himself, he nodded as he took a step back. His hands remained in his pockets.
“See you later then,” he said, winking before turning on his heel and heading to his car.
Charmed. That was the only way I could explain how I felt; charmed by his boyish good looks, great smile, and can-do attitude. So why had it felt like something was off about this? Like I shouldn’t have been putting all my eggs into one basket, so to speak. Like I was waiting for something more.
Kira arrived home in the evening.
I was finishing off some leftover pizza, continuing my binge-watch of Friends, and sketching in my notepad. All the while going over what had happened on the date. Or rather Oliver’s interview. At least that was how it had felt talking to him.
I anticipated Kira’s usual cheerful greeting that followed the jingling of her keys, but it never came. Instead, she entered the room quietly, deep in thought as she rounded the corner and placed her belongings on the kitchen counter.
“Hi?” I said, sitting up slowly as I watched her. I eyed the hallway, waiting for Aiden to appear but he didn’t show. “Where’s Aiden?”
She forced a smile, though it was weak before she grabbed a glass from the cupboard above the sink. “He dropped me home,” she murmured.
It was strange seeing her this distant — sad. Even her usually vibrant red hair looked dull.
I hesitantly got to my feet. “Is everything okay?”
She didn’t respond as she filled up the glass, her face hidden behind a curtain of hair as I moved over to the other side of the counter.
“Kira?” I ducked my head, leaning on the counter, silently urging her to look at me as I began to think the worst.
“I gave Aiden the signature.” She barely sipped from the glass before she tipped the water down the drain.
“Okay?”
