“So the first point of the project that Mrs. Templeton wants us to focus on is the elements of a healthy relationship as demonstrated by our fictional couple, or in our own personal experience.”
“Okay.” Brooks hadn’t even opened his laptop. He leaned against the coffee table, a cookie in hand. “So, personally, I think one element we have that is healthy is good communication—like we can talk baseball and you actually get what I’m talking about.”
I closed my eyes. This was going to be painful. “No, like what makes a relationship healthy,” I tried again.
Brooks blinked. “I just said. Communication.”
“But not about baseball,” I argued.
“Why not?” He frowned. “You have to have things in common to talk about.”
“Yes, but you don’t build a relationship on baseball.”
“What then?”
Really? I stared at him. “How about communication about our feelings for starters?”
Well, itwasa good suggestion, I knew, but in the context of our relationship? My cheeks felt hot.
Brooks had stopped chewing and was staring at me. “You want to talk about our feelings for each other?”
“I never said ‘for each other’!” I protested too quickly and was terrified he’d see right through me. Then I’d have to proclaim my undying love, and Lizzie Bennett would be ashamed of me for my weakness.
“Okay, so . . . baseball.” He grinned.
I threw a couch pillow at him.
“Respect. Vulnerability. Humility.” I listed a few.
“Did you get those from that book?”
“Pride and Prejudice?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“Hardly,” I laughed. “Humility is the opposite of pride.”
“Then how is it even a romance?”
“Well, Lizzie finds humility and so does Darcy, and then—” I stopped. “Well, the fact is, that any solid relationship takes good character.”
“Got it. And baseball.”
“Knock it off!” I was laughing though, and so was he, and for a minute, we just had—fun. No pressure, just honest-to-goodness fun.
“Trust,” I continued. There we go. I was going to be a mood killer, but Lia would be proud. I was sure she was listening in. This would be a good segue into telling Brooks I needed to tell my dad because trust was important in our home.
“Do you think we have these things?” Brooks stilled.
“Have what things?”
“Between you and me. Trust. Respect. Vulnerability. Communication.”
It took me a moment to realize he was really, truly asking. The guy could go from joking to serious in one second flat. I answered without thinking. “I trust you more than I’ve trusted most people.”
Brooks moved closer. There were a few feet between us, but suddenly, there was something in his eyes.
Lia would say it was “longing”.
