“Don’t mind the budget, I can get whatever we need.”
I shake my head. “No, I’m not taking more from you. There are some really sturdy, inexpensive options that we can choose from, so I’ll go to the flooring store and pick something out.”
“Where’s that?”
“About an hour away,” I say. “I think I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Can I go with you?” he asks, like a little puppy wanting to follow me everywhere I go.
“I mean, if you want to, you can. I’m just picking out floors.”
“Yeah, but I’ve never done anything like that before.” He’s so cute. “I think it would be fun.”
“Then, yes, if you want to go with me, you can.”
He lights up. “Great.”
I study him for a second, a stark contrast with the man that I first met when he came to Cape Meril. Starched, rigid, and pressed in a fitted suit, he might have had the same teasing personality as he does now, but his reasoning and need to be here have changed. And I might be getting this all wrong, but it almost seems like he’s seizing the opportunity to gain life experience, do things he’s never done before. Hence the disheveled hair, the sweat on his brow, and the genuine smile on his face.
“What?” he asks.
“Nothing.” I shake my head and move past him.
“No, not nothing. What were you just thinking?” he asks, following behind me.
“It’s stupid.” I pick up the trash we accumulated.
He helps and says, “Bet it’s not. Just tell me.”
Pausing, I say, “You just seem different from when you first came here is all.”
He nods. “Yes, I feel different.”
“Really?” I ask.
“I do. But then again, that could be from the dry humping last night.”
How did I know he was going to say that?
“I released some of the demons inside of me with that ejaculation.”
“Oh my God, Theo, do not say that.”
He lets out a wallop of a laugh. “You don’t like that you helped me release my inner demons?”
“I didn’t like anything about that sentence, including using the word ‘ejaculation.’”
“Would you prefer a different term?”
“I’d prefer you stop talking about it.”
He shakes his head in mirth. “Such a prude.”
Perhaps, but I’m okay with that.
We finish cleaning, and when we’re done, I lean against the wall, letting out a deep breath.
“I’m exhausted,” I say.
