“I know it’s stupid,” I reasoned, taking my turn to be way more nonchalant about something that wasn’t. “But I can’t take it back now. I’m trying not to always do what everyone else wants me to out of guilt and just wanting to make them happy. Anymore at least. That’s whyI’mhere.”
His mouth twisted to the side and he nodded, giving my fingers a squeeze where they were, not having moved even a little bit off his chest. “I want that for you too, Ru. You’re a lot braver and self-reliant than you give yourself credit for, youknowthat?”
My face flushed at the compliment, and I wasn’t sure whether to nod like I agreed, because I really didn’t, or shrug and play it off. So I didn’t do either. I just sat there like a lumpofcoal.
Luckily Aaron grinned. “All right. I’ll drop it. You want to watch a movie orashow?”
Chapter18
Mom:Did you becomefishbait?
Me:No, I’m stillalive.
Mom:OKhavefun
Mom:Not toomuchfun.
Mom:Don’t show up on those girls gone crazy videos and embarrassusall
Me:LOVEYOU
Mom:I’m serious, Squirt. They show those girls on commercials. Jonathan would have a heartattack
Me:I would never do that and you know it. I’ll text youlater.
Mom:I never thought you would go on vacation without mypermission
Me:Mom,I’m24.
Mom:You’re stillmybaby
Me:Jasmine isyourbaby.
Mom:Jasmine came out an oldwoman.
Mom:Need to get up. Bensayshi.
Me:Okay, text you later. I really am okay. Everyone is being nice to me.Loveyou.
Mom:Loveyou2
* * *
“Goodmorning.”
Setting my phone on the floor beside the leg of the deck chair, I turned my upper body to face Aaron at the sliding doors and smiled at him sleepily. We’d only gone to bed four hours ago, after we’d both started dozing off watching infomercial after infomercial, running commentary on them the entire time. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d laughed so much, and that was saying something because I almost always had a good time around my friends andfamily.
“Morning,” I said to him in a low voice. “You couldn’t sleepeither?”
He shook his head as he closed the door behind him, balancing a tray in his one free hand as he came toward me. His face held all the signs of how tired he was, and I was positive I looked the exact same. “Yeah, I couldn’t go back to sleep,” he replied, setting the tray down on the small table and taking the same seat he’d used the morningbefore.
A girl could get used to this, I thought, as I took it from him with a “thank you” that hopefully didn’t sound likeI love youoryou’re amazing. “You really don’t have to do this,” I let him know, giving him a smile at thesametime.
He had his back to me as he picked up his own bowl from the tray. “I know,” was all he said as he faced me again with his breakfast held against his chest. “Texting your mom?” he asked with a raise of aneyebrow.
“Yeah,” I told him with a smirk. “She’s making sure I’m alive, basically telling me not to flash my boobs at a camera and trying to convince me to text hereveryhour.”
“Everyhour?”
