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“I can’t get over all the restaurants being closed,” I told Ryan, keeping the focus on the pandemic rather than wondering about the hopeless “what if”s of anything romantic between us. “We’re trying to support them by doing take out, but they have to be struggling. Some of them have so much space. They must pay a huge amount of taxes just to open their doors.”
“So weird your taxes aren’t helping the small businesses stay open. Seems like a waste of taxes.”
“Why? You don’t pay taxes there?”
“Actually, people in Alaska get a payout for the government just to live here,” he revealed. “It’s pretty sweet.”
“Wow, I never knew that,” I confessed. “There’s so much I don’t know about that place. And it’s the biggest state.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome. I mean, it’s a lot of wilderness. You have to be careful. People get stuck out in the snow or mauled by bears or wolves. You can die out here if you’re foolish.”
“OMG!”
“But most people aren’t foolish. You follow the safety tips, do what you need to do, and you’ll be fine.”
“That’s sounds so crazy. So, like, did you ever come out of your house and see a bear on your front lawn?” I asked.
“We don’t have a front lawn. More like a front forest, if anything. It’s total wilderness. But yeah. I was walking to my car and I saw him sniffing at the trash. Luckily, I had already shoveled off my car because I had gone somewhere earlier. So, I hopped inside it, locked the door and called my parents. Told them it was out there. They said it was fine and that I should just go to school.”
“That was it?!”
“Yeah, he went away and that was it.”
“Wow. I think I would scream,” I confessed.
“You probably wouldn’t want to do that,” he responded. “You don’t want to spook them or draw attention to yourself. Like any other wild animal, you can’t predict what they’ll do. But usually, unless they’re wounded or sick, they’ll leave you alone. Although if you ever see cubs, run!”
“Why? Aren’t they harmless?”
“They are, but the mother is almost always nearby, and she isn’t. She’s very protective. You have to get away before she sees you!”
“You’re having so many adventures. I feel like I’m trapped in my own life,” I texted back.
“Isn’t everyone sort of trapped in their own life?” Ryan asked. “One time, a wolf came into the yard. I just squirted it with the hose, and it ran away.”
“You have hoses? I thought it was frozen there all the time.”
“Well, not in the summer.”
Alaska sounded like such an interesting place that it was easy to forget about my own surroundings, which was something I desperately needed to do lately. But right then, due to our conversation, I remembered that Dad had told me to check on the water.
I was supposed to go down into the basement and make sure the water hoses were on, since winter was over. He liked to do a bit of gardening now and then.
“Oh, wait. Just remembered something I was supposed to do. BRB.”
“K.”
I dropped my phone on the bed and rushed out of my room. Going down to the basement, I passed the couch and bar. Looking at it, I recalled the night with Phil that seemed like a hundred years ago now.
Fortunately, the couch didn’t look stained or anything. I turned over the cushions, just in case.
Finding the water, I turned it on. To make sure it was working, I went to the hose outside and started that up. The water came out and I was good. Then I went back upstairs and found Phil standing outside my room. He was looking at my phone!
“Hey! What the hell?!” I objected, snatching the phone back.
Phil suddenly looked angry and hurt. He made a face, then stormed into his room and slammed the door. What was his problem? It wasn’t like I was his girlfriend. He avoided me, treated me like shit, and now got jealous I was texting someone else, even in a platonic way?
Jeez, what a nut he was. I wish I wasn’t so damn attracted to him and I wish I could forget our amazing sex we had had.
“Hey, Ryan. You there?”
“Yeah.”
“I left my phone and Phil found it. He didn’t type anything odd, did he?”
“Don’t think so. What did he say?”
“Nothing. But he looked hurt,” I relayed. “Stormed into his room to pout, I guess.”
“Wait, because of me? Did I mess something up?”
“No! Don’t be ridiculous. He’s my stepbrother.”
“Yeah, but… you know.”
“That’s in the past now,” I assured Ryan. “I don’t even think about him anymore, quite frankly. I mean, it really was a one-time thing.”
I was lying, but I kind of had to say that, or he would think I was a freak.
“Probably for the best. Would’ve made for some awkward holiday dinners, I’ll wager!”
