“Nothing exciting,” he says. “I was thinking I could make you a salad. With chicken. To counterbalance all the cream.”
I pull back just enough to look at him. “You’re worried about my diet now?”
“I’m worried about your arteries,” he says. “And mine, by association.”
I laugh. “Alright. I’ll allow it. But I can’t guarantee what Pea-lime will think.”
He smiles. “Pea-lime has opinions about everything.”
Then, without any announcement or pause, he leans down and presses a quick kiss into my hair. Not lingering. Not dramatic. Just instinctive.
It catches me off guard in a way I don’t immediately unpack.
By the time my brain has caught up, he’s already on his feet, heading for the fridge.
“Right,” he says, opening the door. “Chicken. Leaves. Something lemony. We’re reintroducing responsibility.”
I stay where I am, watching him rummage around like nothing noteworthy has just happened.
Nothing’s been said. Nothing’s been defined.
But the warmth sticks around.
And for now, that’s enough.
23
Feeling Occupied
Geoff
Pee-Pee listens without interrupting,which is always unnerving because it means she’s loading ammunition.
I finish explaining the Sophia situation. The timing. The flat. The fact that I thought I was being honest and apparently wasn’t honest enough.
“I told her I needed to slow things down,” I say. “And she said she felt like I was already elsewhere. And she’s not entirely wrong.”
Pee-Pee nods, jotting something down. I hate that notebook. It knows too much.
“So,” I continue, shifting on the chair, “I’m thinking of giving dating a break for a bit.”
She looks up. “A break, or a retreat?”
“A break,” I say quickly. “A deliberate one.”
“Mmm.”
That noise again. The sceptical hum.
“I’m still doing the work,” I add. “Therapy. The physical side. I just don’t think it’s fair to keep dating when I feel like I’m handing out a disclaimer leaflet.”
She leans back slightly. “What would the leaflet say?”
I grimace. “May contain emotional landmines. Unreliable performance. Unexpected life entanglements.”
She smiles. “Catchy.”
“I just want to fix the… issue,” I say. “In another way. Without dragging women through it while I’m figuring myself out.”
