“We haven’t talked much. How have your past two days been?” she asked.
“Here we go. Nice polite conversation. My past few days have been boring. How about yours?”
She laughed again, her shoulders relaxing some. “I get it. I know. Should I say what have you been up to? Have you felt the need to blast loud music and talk to yourself so it’s not just you alone in the room?”
“Yes,” he said. “Be funny about it. And the answer is no. I’ve read two books start to finish while I waited for you to make your decision about this weekend.”
Not to mention he needed to distract himself if he ended up going alone.
Now that he had Natalie by his side he could conjure up more in his mind until then.
“Reading is good,” she said. “I thought for sure you’d be looking for another interest...to take interest.”
“I’ll do that soon enough.” He turned on the couch to angle toward her. “So. Why are you going with me this weekend? Truthfully. No sugarcoating it. No trying to be thoughtful. Just the honest, gritty truth. Whatever comes out of your mouth first.”
She stared at him for ten seconds. “Why?”
He sighed. “There goes the whole whatever comes out of your mouth first thing. You ruined it.”
She laughed. “Hardly that.”
“I know you’re doing it for me. I appreciate it. I really do. I’ll appreciate it more once I’m around my family for more than an hour. But there has to be more to this than you being a nice person. It’s asking a lot of you.”
And he wanted more.
Not just from her. But for them.
He wouldn’t open himself up more if she didn’t give him something.
Yes, goingwasmore.
Being by his side for him. Supporting him.
Even drawing up the ridiculous contract. As if she was fearful if she didn’t lay the ground rules she might slip some more.
Please, slip a lot more.
But he couldn’t say that.
At least not yet.
Her head went side to side. “It’s not asking as much as you think.”
“Don’t be nice,” he said. “I know it is. Why are you afraid to tell me why you’re doing it?”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Sounds it to me,” he said, lifting his chin.
She crossed her arms. “If we fight I’ll just change my mind.”
“We have to fight in order to have a relationship in front of my family. No one is happy and gets along all the time. Consider this part of a test run.”
She snorted. “Talk about absurd.”
“You can’t tell me your parents never fight,” he said. “They are still married, right?”
“They are,” she said. “And they do have disagreements.”
