I paused, thinking about what she said, and that was when something hit me like a freight train.
“Oh. My. God. Carolina.”
“Whoa, government name? What’s going on there?”
“I just realized!” I let out an aggravated sound and resisted the urge to slam my head into my desk. “He basically told me he was a part of this social group that didn’t care about him and were just using him. What if he thought I was trying to do the same thing?”
Although I hadn’t exactly been pleased with my actions, the sudden revelation made me feel so much worse.Fuck on a duck!I’d been interpreting the whole scene as him just being offended about me coming on too strong, but what if my whole frame was askew, and it was actually him being afraid I was only interested in his body like whoever was in his failed LARP group?
Man, I had really fucked up. But somehow, that seemedsomuch easier to clear up than what I had thought previously.
“Hey yeah! That could be it! Especially if he’s the hottie with a body like you said. Why don’t you just try communicating with him before you assume the worst?”
“Tweety, you’re the best,” I said, returning back to her username. “I owe you for sure now. Lemme take you out for dinner this weekend?”
“Worry about me after you touch base with this possible Romeo of yours,” she said with a laugh. “With any luck, your weekend will beveryoccupied.”
“Um, I’m not really keen on swallowing poison or stabbing a dagger through my tit, so maybe more Rowan and less Romeo,” I said with a chuckle. “But yeah, lemme get back into my base, then I’ll text him.”
“Oh, you’re gonna do that now?”
“Yeah. He doesn’t text much during the day anyway. He’s probably sleeping because of the whole night shift stuff.”
“Right, I forgot about that. I can’t imagine not rising with the sun.”
“That’s because you crow at it,” I shot back.
“Wow, what is it, standup night?”
“And yet you’re not denying it.”
She let out a snort. Tweety, like many harpies, slept in three-hour increments throughout the entire day and night, so she was simultaneously always awake and always asleep.
“Should I deafen myself for a bit?”
“Nah, I’m just gonna text. But I’ll be quiet for a while.”
“Okies dokies, artichokies. I’ll be here when you’re done.”
Yes, she would be. And I cherished her for that.
I opened my text chain with Rowan and stared at it for a long time before typing.
Me:Hey, I know things didn’t end the best last time, and I want to apologize if I made you uncomfortable in any way.
I was having the most incredible night, and I’m afraid that in getting ahead of myself, I might have given off the wrong impression. I’d love to have a second chance, sans cataclysmic summer thunderstorm, to be on my best behavior and enjoy a night out on the town.
No hard feelings if not, but I have to admit that I really felt like our date was something special.
Best wishes,
HowlingAloneTogether, but hopefully heavy on the together part.
I read it once. Twice. A third time to be sure. And then a fourth time just in case. But once I had it memorized, I hit send.
Of course, there wasn’t an answer. I hadn’t expected there to be, and yet I was a bit disappointed, nonetheless.
“It’s done,” I said, and Tweety’s supportive voice answered me almost instantly.
