“Why, yes, you did.”
I lean back on my new pillow, pretending it’s him, and then ask, “How tall are you again?”
“About six-two. Why?”
“I’m trying to envision what it would be like to cuddle next to you.”
He lets out a breath. “We’ll know for real here … someday … hopefully.”
“How long do you think this will last? I’ve heard so many different reports that I think my head’s going to explode. They announced already that school wouldn’t be going back at all. I don’t understand how they can say that this early. I mean, we still have the rest of April, all of May, and the first week of June. That’s eight more weeks before school was supposed to be out.” I stop and sigh.
Eight weeks. Will Drew and I be like this for eight more weeks?
I saw on TV that the MLB is talking about quarantining all the baseball players in one place down in Arizona or Florida, so they can play to empty stadiums. If that happens, he’d have to leave right away. I’d never get a chance to know what his arms felt like, wrapped around me. I’d never even get a chance to kiss him before he left.
My chest aches at the thought.
“Hey, what’s going on in that head of yours?” he asks.
“Sorry. I have these moments of disbelief sometimes. Like, I have to stop myself and ask if this is really happening.”
“I know. I feel the same way. I think everyone is feeling that way though. I promise you, you’re not alone.”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Well, actually, yeah, I am alone. Wait, not now, now that I have my Drew pillow!”
He sighs. “You’ll never be alone with me in the picture now.”
“I did hear today that they think we’ve hit the peak. That’s good news, right?”
“It’s very good news. So, maybe this May first date will actually happen.”
“May first …” I say more to myself than to him. “So, that’s twenty more days.”
“Yep … twenty more days.”
We sit in silence as we let that set in.
“Hey, do me a favor,” I ask.
“Anything.”
“Do you have a measuring tape?”
“I’m sure my dad does. Why?”
“Go get it, please. I want you to measure something for me.”
I hear him rustle around and stand up. He walks through his house, and I hear his parents ask if he’s talking to me.
When he responds, “Of course,” my heart does a happy dance.
I can hear his mom in the background say, “Tell her hello for us,” and I dance even more.
It’s like they’ve already welcomed me into their family, and the calmness that washes over me is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. Maybe he’s right. With him around, I’ll never be alone.
The sound changes slightly when he enters the garage, like there’s an echo around him. “Okay, I have the measuring tape. What am I doing with it?”
“Pull out five feet five inches,” I direct.
