then squeezes my elbows instead.
“Yeah, you too.”
Zach waves from the sofa. “See you later, Maya.”
“Bye, Zach. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad.” I snap my fingers at Calvin and he moves in slow motion off Dad’s lap, soaking in every last minute.
“Bye, sweetie,” Dad says to me. “Bye, Calvin!”
“Roo.” This little yodel is more like a sigh of depression. I shake my head, watching my dog sulk to the front door.
It’s going to be a boring ride home. Anytime Calvin feels like I’m making him leave before he’s good and ready, he ignores me the whole way home.
I pull into my space in front of our apartment and yawn as I look at the dashboard clock. It’s nearly midnight, so already I’m looking at five and a half hours of sleep if I were to get in bed and be immediately asleep this very minute.
Jack is not going to like me very much tomorrow. I’m not a nice person to be around when I’m tired.
I nudge Calvin, who is curled into a little ball on the passenger seat. “Wake up, bud. We’re home.” He crawls across the seats and snuggles into my lap.
Awww!
I have a cute dog. Granted, he’s probably just not wanting to walk upstairs, but he’s so cute I can’t resist. I pick him up, climb out of the car, and carry him up the stairs.
The light from the TV is flickering in the windows, and I frown. Jen’s never up this late.
I open the door.
“You’re finally home!” she nearly yells, making Calvin jump.
I start a little bit too. “Hi,” I say.
She hops off the couch and starts bubbling. “Oh, Maya, it was so wonderful! After church, he took me to this picnic spot that was so beautiful because all of the trees were changing, and he’d packed this whole lunch with sandwiches and cheese and fruit and sparkling cider, and then we just sat and talked for, like, hours, and then when it was time to go, we decided to go get coffee, so we sat and talked for hours there, and then we went and saw a movie at the theater, and then we had dinner, and oh — !” She finally takes a breath. My lungs are hurting just watching her. She falls back on the couch. “It was the perfect day.”
No accusing “Hey, you never told me you dated him,” so I’m assuming Travis did not recognize me last night. Travis is nothing but honest. If he knew who I was, he’d tell Jen as soon as he could.
I set Calvin down, and he slumps to my room to go to bed. I watch him longingly but recognize the hopeful look onJen’s face and sit on the couch.
So sorry, Jack.
He’s really not going to like me in the morning. But every girl knows that half the fun of going on a date is dishing about it later.
This isn’t the first time Jen’s told me about a date, but it is the first time she’s told me about one without using periods. Normally, it goes something like this: “So, we went to dinner. Then we went to a movie. It was fun.” The end.
I try to ignore the tightening in my stomach. Maybe if I just pretend I never dated Travis … maybe that could work.
There’s a prominent new display of tulips on the coffee table. “He brought a gift, I see.” I point to the flowers.
She sighs. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
“They’re pretty.”
“Oh, Maya, he’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”
Jen, we dated. All through high school and the first year of college. I thought you should know. And it’s late. I’m going to bed.
It sounds good in my head. I open my mouth.
She beats me to it. “And we have
so
much in common!” she exclaims. “We both love movies and hiking and Italian food, and he tells the funniest stories!”
“Jen,” I start as soon as she takes a breath.
“Oh! And the dinner! I’ll tell you what, Maya, he does not scrimp on taking me out. Flowers, nice restaurants, he always asks if I want dessert….”
She’s got this dreamy soft look in her eyes, and the light from the TV is making them sparkle even more.
Oh boy.
“Jen,” I try again.
“Oh gosh!” She jumps and looks at
“Yeah, you too.”
Zach waves from the sofa. “See you later, Maya.”
“Bye, Zach. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad.” I snap my fingers at Calvin and he moves in slow motion off Dad’s lap, soaking in every last minute.
“Bye, sweetie,” Dad says to me. “Bye, Calvin!”
“Roo.” This little yodel is more like a sigh of depression. I shake my head, watching my dog sulk to the front door.
It’s going to be a boring ride home. Anytime Calvin feels like I’m making him leave before he’s good and ready, he ignores me the whole way home.
I pull into my space in front of our apartment and yawn as I look at the dashboard clock. It’s nearly midnight, so already I’m looking at five and a half hours of sleep if I were to get in bed and be immediately asleep this very minute.
Jack is not going to like me very much tomorrow. I’m not a nice person to be around when I’m tired.
I nudge Calvin, who is curled into a little ball on the passenger seat. “Wake up, bud. We’re home.” He crawls across the seats and snuggles into my lap.
Awww!
I have a cute dog. Granted, he’s probably just not wanting to walk upstairs, but he’s so cute I can’t resist. I pick him up, climb out of the car, and carry him up the stairs.
The light from the TV is flickering in the windows, and I frown. Jen’s never up this late.
I open the door.
“You’re finally home!” she nearly yells, making Calvin jump.
I start a little bit too. “Hi,” I say.
She hops off the couch and starts bubbling. “Oh, Maya, it was so wonderful! After church, he took me to this picnic spot that was so beautiful because all of the trees were changing, and he’d packed this whole lunch with sandwiches and cheese and fruit and sparkling cider, and then we just sat and talked for, like, hours, and then when it was time to go, we decided to go get coffee, so we sat and talked for hours there, and then we went and saw a movie at the theater, and then we had dinner, and oh — !” She finally takes a breath. My lungs are hurting just watching her. She falls back on the couch. “It was the perfect day.”
No accusing “Hey, you never told me you dated him,” so I’m assuming Travis did not recognize me last night. Travis is nothing but honest. If he knew who I was, he’d tell Jen as soon as he could.
I set Calvin down, and he slumps to my room to go to bed. I watch him longingly but recognize the hopeful look onJen’s face and sit on the couch.
So sorry, Jack.
He’s really not going to like me in the morning. But every girl knows that half the fun of going on a date is dishing about it later.
This isn’t the first time Jen’s told me about a date, but it is the first time she’s told me about one without using periods. Normally, it goes something like this: “So, we went to dinner. Then we went to a movie. It was fun.” The end.
I try to ignore the tightening in my stomach. Maybe if I just pretend I never dated Travis … maybe that could work.
There’s a prominent new display of tulips on the coffee table. “He brought a gift, I see.” I point to the flowers.
She sighs. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
“They’re pretty.”
“Oh, Maya, he’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”
Jen, we dated. All through high school and the first year of college. I thought you should know. And it’s late. I’m going to bed.
It sounds good in my head. I open my mouth.
She beats me to it. “And we have
so
much in common!” she exclaims. “We both love movies and hiking and Italian food, and he tells the funniest stories!”
“Jen,” I start as soon as she takes a breath.
“Oh! And the dinner! I’ll tell you what, Maya, he does not scrimp on taking me out. Flowers, nice restaurants, he always asks if I want dessert….”
She’s got this dreamy soft look in her eyes, and the light from the TV is making them sparkle even more.
Oh boy.
“Jen,” I try again.
“Oh gosh!” She jumps and looks at
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