“No harm is needed, but real talk… what happens if we are together and he leaves and it doesn’t work out?”
“But what if it does? The glass is half full too, not always half empty.”
“What happens when we spend possible years doing long distance just for neither of us to want to move?” I question.
“What if you realize you want a change of scenery? What if Henry wants a change of scenery instead and that means being here with you in Ruby Lake?”
My fingers play with the water as I think about what she said.
Wren continues. “I know it’s scary. Life and relationships are scary, but you deserve happiness and love, and Henry probably has a big dick that you deserve too!”
That last comment breaks me of my depressed water flicking but I keep a straight face. “I will not confirm or deny.”
“So youdidget dicked down! And you didn’ttellme?” She squeals.
“You hate men and dicks!”
“But I love my best friend getting laid!”
My hands fly to my face as I quickly try to cover the blushing on my cheeks.
“The way you’re feeling right now could be how you feel the rest of your life if you just let Henry in.” She takes a sip of her water again. “Just… think about it.”
“I miss the days where we just did this, lay out in the sun for hours, no responsibilities.”
“We had it so good, little did we know it then. Speaking of us back in the day, you’ve left me out of the loop on your Fuck It List!”
“I told you about the fair!”
“Yeah but there was, what? Three things on that list? You’ve only told me about one!”
“You’re right,” I say. “He took me camping the other day, I just haven’t had time to tell you about it yet. And I still have one more to check off, which is that date.”
“Like that’ll be hard,” she huffs out a laugh. “How was camping?”
“It was amazing. Miles told me today that Henry spent the whole day cleaning up the area of his property that has a small lake just so we had a private place to camp, and close to home in case something went wrong.”
“He went all Bob The Builder for you? Damn… I need to find myself a Barbara The Builder.”
I snort.
“He even bought three tents, one large enough for the two of us or two single tents in case I wanted my own. Same with the sleeping bags, he bought three for the exact same reason.”
“I never thought men could be gentlemen until Henry Bellwood strolled into town.”
“Honestly, same. He invited me over tonight to check off the last item. It’s a bittersweet feeling having this come to an end.”
“Do you think it helped heal your inner child?”
“In a way, yes. It also showed me not every man is like my dad. Not everyone will leave.” I reminisce on how Henry has treated me this summer. Overcoming my fear of the ferris wheel, taking care of me when I had cramps, creating a camping set up just for us two… “He helped bring out a side of me I only ever show with you, I became comfortable around him. He’s new and my life didn’t crumble at the change, instead it became better.”
“I’ve never seen you so… yourself. You’re more free, more spirited. You did this all on your own and Henry was the cheerleader you needed along the way.”
“It’s funny you say that.” I pause. “He also called himself my personal cheerleader.”
A cheerleader that’s made me feel more myself than I ever have.
39
