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“I’m not knocking anything. I’m just curious.” She couldn’t help wondering what Dylan would be like in bed. Tender? Rough? Or some delicious combination of the two? An image popped into her head of him pushing her up against a wall and dropping between her legs, her wrists clamped in his hands…
“The lasagna’s ready,” Dylan said, heading into the kitchen without answering her question. “Grab the salad, will you?”
Brooke shook her head and took a big drink of wine before following him.
Dylan carried the lasagna to the table and cut it into squares. He served up two generous helpings and they sat down to eat.
The lasagna was delicious. Even better than Brooke remembered. Or maybe Dylan had improved on the recipe since high school.
They reminisced about days past as they ate, and laughed over inside jokes they used to have, some of which Brooke had almost forgotten. It felt so natural to be joking around with Dylan again, it was as if they’d never been apart. And yet they were very different people now than they’d been in high school. They’d both changed, though maybe not in the ways that mattered most.
After they finished the meal, they cleared the table, and Brooke helped Dylan with the dishes.
“This was nice,” she said as she got out a dish towel to start drying. “I’m not sure I’ve ever actually sat down at that table and eaten a meal with anyone. Usually it’s just me and the cat eating on the couch. I mean, I eat on the couch. The cat eats on the floor in the kitchen.”
Dylan handed her a clean plate to dry. “Sounds kind of lonely.”
“It’s not so bad. I like being alone.”
He frowned at the cutting board he was scrubbing with more elbow grease than was strictly necessary. “I hate being alone.”
“Why?” It struck Broke as sad. Everyone should be able to enjoy their own company.
He looked up, as if the question had surprised him. “I guess I just crave companionship.”
“If you mean sex, you don’t need to be in a relationship for that.”
Her vibrator collection spoke for itself. But even if you craved human touch, there were plenty of ways to get that without tying yourself down to another person. She couldn’t imagine Dylan would have any trouble finding hookups if he wanted them.
“No, you don’t,” he agreed as he passed her the cutting board to dry. “But it’s more than that. I like having a partner. Knowing there’s someone who’ll be there when I need them.”
“Have you ever had that with anyone?” As far as she knew, he hadn’t been in a relationship since he’d moved to New York. Certainly nothing long-term.
“No. I thought once—but no. I’m still waiting for the right woman to come along.”
Brooke’s heart ached for him a little as she watched him wipe down the counter around the sink. “I don’t know why, but I always assumed you preferred to play the field. I guess I didn’t think the model lifestyle would be conducive to finding that kind of committed relationship.”
“It’s not, really. That’s the problem.” He shook his head before she could say anything else. “I don’t mean to complain. You want more wine?”
“Sure.”
He refilled both their wineglasses, and they carried them into the living room where they sank down on the couch.
“So you don’t like relationships?” Dylan asked, turning to face her as he settled back into the cushions.
Brooke pulled her legs up under her. “I enjoy the beginning of relationships fine, when everything’s all exciting and unknown. I love that feeling you get with someone new, when you’re still figuring each other out and it’s all nerves and anticipation. But that’s just the dopamine rush. It’s not real.”
Dylan’s phone buzzed and he looked at it with a weary expression. As he stared at the screen, his frown deepened into a grimace. It was the third or fourth time she’d seen him frowning at his phone tonight. Someone had been blowing up his texts, but whoever it was, Dylan hadn’t chosen to respond.
He shoved his phone back into his pocket. “So what happens?” he asked, looking up at Brooke again. “Where does it start to go wrong?”
She thought about it as she sipped her wine. “After a few weeks, I guess, once the excitement wears off, and you learn everything there is to learn about someone. That’s when I start to get bored. And I’d rather be by myself than bored with someone else.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I think the real problem is I like most people better before I get to know them.”
“That’s a gloomy outlook on humanity.” His look smacked of pity.
She shrugged. “I’m thinking of turning in my amateur misanthrope card and going pro.”
He leaned back and rested his wineglass on his thigh. “You really think you can learn everything there is to know about someone in a few weeks?”
