Ledger
“Hey,man.Did you two make it back to base all right?”I ask when Koa answers the phone.
“Yeah, the flight was delayed, so we got in late.Slept in a bit.”
“That’s rare.”
“You know it.”
I sit on the couch, absently scratching Bean’s ears when he jumps up next to me.
“How are things there?Did you get everything figured out with your girl?”he asks.
“Kind of.”
“What does that mean?”
“We went out.We slept together.I told her this wasn’t casual.”
“Jesus, dude.You’re going to fuck this up.”
“I don’t want to freak her out by moving too fast!”
“You’re on a time crunch.You need to speed things up.Unless you want to come back here without telling her that you love her.Is that your plan?To leave her guessing?”
“No,” I snap.“I just… I need to find the right time.”
“It’s always the right time to say those three words.”
“Really,” I say sarcastically.“So, first date?Totally fine?Not too much at all?”
“Not when you know it’s right.”
“Yeah, youbothneed to know it’s right for that not to go terribly.”
“Sounds as if Daisy likes you.Stop being a little baby and go tell her.”
“Why did I call you?”I groan.
He snorts.“You know I’m right.”
We’re silent for a beat, and I take a deep breath before I ask him the question that has been gnawing at me.
“How do you and Lula manage being together and being so far away?”
“Trust and technology,” he says simply.
“You’re the worst.”
“It’s the truth!”
“I was looking for a little more wisdom than three words.”
“Fine, how’s this?We talk, text, FaceTime as much as we can.We’re open and honest with each other.She trusts me, and I trust her.We make plans to see each other, and we’re both willing to put in the work to make it happen.Traveling so far for just a few days can suck, but we’re realistic about it, and it’s worth it to both of us to do the hard things if it means we get each other in the end.”
I swallow hard, processing his words.
“I do what I can to make her life easier,” Koa continues.“If that means paying some kid from town to cut her grass so she doesn’t have to, I do it.I send flowers and little gifts to let her know I’m thinking about her and miss her.I arrange spa days and little surprises to make up for the important events I can’t be there for.”
