“It’s a classic,” I manage to say, playing with the label on my bottle.
“Classic, huh? It’s notthatold.”
“Yeah. I mean, Dennis chose the movie.”
“Good?” He tilts his head, his scrutinizing gaze not leaving my face for even a second.
“Sure,” I croak, still fiddling with the label.
Aaron chuckles. “Jeez. You sound exactly like my brother. It takes a real effort to have a conversation with him these days. He keeps zoning out…” Aaron takes another sip from his beer, humor glinting in his brown eyes. “Guess he must have a lot on his mind, too.”
“Yeah, maybe.”Please let it be me. Please let Dennis think about me just like I think about him every fucking second of every day.“He lost his job, you know,” I add.
Aaron sighs. “Yeah, I know. But he went for an interview today, so maybe he’ll have good news when he comes back.”
“He had an interview? Where?” He didn’t tell me about that. A strange sensation sweeps through my chest. Why wouldn’t he tell me about that?
“Down near Siuslaw, I think. The national park is looking for guides.”
“Siuslaw?” My chest tightens, and suddenly it’s like I can’t breathe, the beer now leaving a sour taste in my mouth. Siuslaw. That’s around 150 miles away. I didn’t know Dennis was looking for work out of town, but why wouldn’t he be? It’s not like Cannon Beach has a ton of available jobs in his line of work. And it’s not like he has anything keeping him here. I mean, we never talked about what we are to each other. If we’re just dating or if we’re more than that. Like boyfriends.Boyfriends. Fuck, my chest does that weird clenching thing again, my stomach rolling.
I know how I’m feeling isn’t rational. Dennis hasn’t given me any reason to think that he’s not as serious about me as I am about him. And still… if he’s looking for a job out of town, does that mean he’s not sure if he wants to stay? Siuslaw is one thing, but what if he starts looking out of state? What if I’m just not enough for him to stick around for? Of course, he’d want a job where he can use his degree; why wouldn’t he? And if he can’t find that here in Cannon Beach with me, then…
Shit, I’m going to have to tell him. I need him to know that I want him to be my boyfriend. And I definitely don’t want him to leave now that I’ve finally got him back.
Aaron looks at me with concern. “You okay, man? You want another beer?”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m good.”I’m not good at all.Suddenly, I need Dennis right here, right now, so I can tell him this is not just something casual to me. I feel out of my depth here, not used to this constant emotional tug of war inside. The question continues to burn inside me, wondering if this is real. Ifweare real. I need to know.
Aaron sighs, rubbing his stomach. “Fuck, beer always makes me crave fries. You wanna go grab something to eat down at the diner?”
“I think I need a shower first. But sure, yeah.” It’s not like I have much of an appetite, but I feel like I owe it to Aaron to hang out with him. He’s finally home, and Ihavemissed him.
I wipe my hands through my dusty hair, then pull my phone from my pants pocket and open my text thread with Dennis from this morning. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me he was going out of town. He just sent me a selfie of him in bed, a cheeky smile on his face, and a text saying, “Thinking of you.”
I type out a message, then place my phone down on the kitchen island.
Mike:I need to talk to you. Meet me after work tomorrow?
Chapter 20
Dennis
“Dennis!”Momcallsmefrom downstairs.
I tug the hem of my T-shirt down and smooth out the chest as I step into the hall. The smell of bacon and buttery pancakes hits my nose. I inhale deeply and instantly salivate. “Yeah, Mom?”
“Wesley’s here, honey.”
“Coming.”
I whistle to Willow, who’s lying on her back in my bed, spindly legs sticking up. She’s utterly ridiculous, and I love it. She instantly rolls over and jumps off the bed to come downstairs with me. Aaron brought her home with him yesterday after he hung out with Mike.
The plan is to take Willow to the beach and do some fishing. Mike’s working, so he can’t come with us. Today is about chilling, then tomorrow I plan to look for more work or go and beg for my job back. I’m totally up for a bit of groveling. Maybe by now, Mr. Hutchins isn’t so mad at me anymore. I can only hope because driving all the way to Siuslaw National Forest yesterday was way too long, and the thought of being so far from Mike is daunting. It took me nearly three hours to getthere. I don’t know if I got the job, but if I do, I’m not sure what to do. I love Mike, but I have to work, too. I need to gain experience in my field and save some money.
Mike didn’t know I had an interview down there. I feel bad for not telling him, but what’s the point if I don’t even get the job? I didn’t want to stress him out. Hell,Iwas stressed out. I sigh inwardly. I guess I need to talk to him about my employment plan and how it’ll affect us.
He texted me yesterday that he wants to talk to me about something after work today. My mind has, of course, gone to all sorts of weird places already—or hot places that smell of all things Mike. Okay, that was a detour. Happens a lot lately.
