“You don’t want to talk to a stranger, so talk to me.”
It’s hard to get a read on his brown eyes. The sun continues its slow descent towards the horizon. Before long, we’ll be kicked out of here.
Not the worst thing right now.
Something no one else knows about me?
There’s a lot I could tell him. My childhood. Growing up with my parents. That seems too heavy for what we’re doing.
How a one-minute phone call was too long for my mother.
This is supposed to be fun. Nothing serious.
So what can I tell this man that won’t open up a floodgate of emotions inside of me?
“I hate heights.”
“Really? In the whole wide world of things you could have told me, that’s what you chose to go with?”
“Hey.” I poke him in the side. “You said tell you something no one else knows. No one knows that.”
“Okay. You don’t like heights. Something new to put in my encyclopedia of everything Olivia Montrose.”
“I like keeping my feet firmly on solid ground.”
“I guess that explains why you said no to skydiving.”
A shudder racks my body. “There is no way in hell I would ever do that. I can’t believe you would!”
Tag leans back against the bench, resting his arm along the back. “Why not?”
“Why not?” I scoff. “What if the parachute doesn’t work? Or something happens to the plane? I prefer not splatting into the ground like a pancake.”
Tag smiles at me. “I know whatnotto plan for our next date then.”
“’Scuse me. Park is closing.” An old man in a uniform walks through, pointing at his watch. “Time to go.”
“Thank you,” I tell him, standing to grab Tag’s hand.
We’re the only ones in here as we walk towards the exit. It’s like being in our own little cocoon in the busy city.
Maybe it’s why I felt safe confessing something—even if it wasn’t a deep, dark secret—to Tag. Or maybe that’s just Tag.
“Hey.” Tag stops me outside the locked gate. “Thanks for telling me something no one else knows about you.”
“Thank you for making it easy.”
I wish I could gather up the courage to confess more to this man. But for now, this will do.
From: Olivia Montrose
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2025 10:03 AM
To: Stanley Easton III
Subject: Good Luck
Mr. Easton,
