Then I register that he said he was bored, and my earlier conversation with Alex and my father rings in my ears. The fine line that I’ll have to walk makes me roll my shoulders with discomfort.
“My sister—Ava—is hosting a party at Wino Wine Bar tonight.” When I see his disinterested expression, I adjust my sales pitch. “Not even a party. A gathering. Of a few people. Help the team and their partners get acclimatized to the island.”
“You going?”
“I am. Do you want to go?”
“Not really.” He tosses the towel toward the bench. “Just the team?”
“I’d have to check Ava’s eight thousand voice memos to be sure before I make any promises.”
“Ah,” he says, a hint of a smile. “So it might be more of a party than a gathering.”
“I mean, a gathering is a low-key party.”
“Is it?”
“For sure. A gathering is an entry-level party.”
“For the inexperienced?”
“Or for those who would prefer not to have the experience at all.”
Another ghost of a smile. “I feel like you’re calling me antisocial.”
“Selectively social.”
“I’m indifferent to most people.”
“I did get that impression.” From his interviews, from our conversation, from the little Tamiko shared with me about his past. Unlike him, I’ve resisted the lure of searching the internet for tidbits about his life.
He doesn’t say anything, but the way his gaze trails over me makes me think that the column he’s slotted me in doesn’t have “indifferent” at the top.
Since I hardly know him, I’m probably reading that completely wrong.
“Whenever Chayton tries to get me to go somewhere, he calls it a get-together.”
“He makes the stakes even lower,” I say, nodding. “Smart.”
“He knows me better than anyone.”
“Is that what you want? To only be known by him?”
“Never thought about it.” He shrugs. “It’s just the way it is.”
“Do you think you’ll come?”
“Unlikely.”
“You said you were bored…”
“Boredom isn’t a bad thing.” Another wisp of a smile. “Sometimes it forces you to learn new things.”
“Forces?”
“Inspires.”
“Boredom leads to inspiration?”
