“Jessa is sound asleep,” she replies, which means Aiden is also very likely passed out.
“Did you have a good day?” I ask her.
I swear I can feel her smile over the phone. “I really did. It’s been so long since I’ve had a girlfriend to hang out with. It’s nice. Her and Aiden are going to be perfect for each other.”
“He seems happy.”
“They deserve to be happy,” she replies.
“So do we.”
There’s a soft silence for a moment over the phone and she sighs. “Can we be different people tonight?” she asks.
“I already told you I’m Batman.”
She laughs and sighs before she speaks again. “I wish you were just Batman.”
“Me too,” I reply, looking out at the waves.
I grab a shell and toss it into the water, both of us still on the phone, just wanting some amount of closeness.
“We’ve got to stop doing this, Linc.”
“I know,” I groan.
“Maybe some distance?”
“Okay,” I reply, hating the thought entirely.
“Goodnight, Linc.”
“Night.”
I hang up the phone and stare at the dark, inky ocean in front of me. I either need to work on this obsession and give Penny up, or I need to convince her that this isn’t some fleeting feeling.
It’s beena week and a half and I haven’t seen Penny. I consider going to Avalon. Hell, even going to Key Club and meeting someone new. But every time I think about doing it, I immediately shut it down. I’m trying so fucking hard to move on, but no matter what I do, I can’t.
I always thought the phrase when you know, you know, was bullshit. Especially since Penny has been in my face this whole time. But after everything we shared, I know she’s my person. She’s the one I’m supposed to be with.
I’m working obscenely late when Aiden walks through my office.
He rounds the chair in front of my desk and sits on it.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, not even looking away from my computer.
“Even for you, this is a bit much,” he says, waving a hand in my direction.
“I like my job.”
“No, you’re fucking burying yourself in this job. What’s going on Linc? I mean, I knew things after Vanessa were bad, but lately you just seem?—”
“I’m fine, just have a lot of work to do.”
“You haven’t been going to Avalon.”
“I didn’t even really like Avalon,” I say, and my brother glares at me.
