“He’s almost thirty.”
He smiles at me before tossing his line into the water again. “Just a kid.”
“Okay, I’ll try to talk to him, but he doesn’t make it easy.”
“You’re a smart young man. You’ll figure it out.”
Something suddenly tugs on my line. “Got one!”
I reel in the fish to find the tiniest little thing that’s not even suitable to feed to a cat. “Psh… stupid fish.”
The next morning, I drive over to Dennis and Mike’s place.
Their house is so nice, surrounded by thick trees and green grass. It looks more like a cabin, with tall windows to capture as much natural light as possible. I still can’t believe they built it themselves.
As soon as I’m out of my car, Dennis sees me and runs out of his house toward me with a huge smile on his face. Just when I think he’s going to crash right into me, he stops and pulls me into a tight hug.
“Wes! Dude, you’re here.”
“Missed you, too, Den,” I chuckle.
He pulls back, his hands resting on my shoulders. “You look good, man.”
“So do you. Like the new beard.”
He runs his hand across the stubble and grins. His hair has gotten a little longer, too, and the dark brown waves spill over his ears. “Mike says he likes a beard on me, and what Mike wants, Mike gets.”
“You two are so sweet that I’m getting a toothache.”
He slides his hand into the crook of my arm and drags me toward the house. “Jealous?”
“Maybe a little. Dating is getting kind of boring. Speaking of sweet, where is Mike?”
“He’s having to take down a tree at Mr. Cunningham’s place. You know, the one who owns Kingfisher Bakery.”
“I remember.”
We step inside to comfortable furniture, the smell of burning wood from the fireplace, and coffee. I sit at the small kitchen table as he pours me a cup.
“Man, I never thought I’d see the day you’d want to find something more than a hookup.”
“Eh, hookups are still fun, but yeah, I’ve been kind of getting the relationship bug. I don’t know.”
Dennis sits across from me and sips his coffee. “So, how’s Jett? You said he’s a prick, right? Bummer.”
“He kissed me.”
Dennis blows out his coffee and gapes at me. “Shit… hang on.” He rushes to the counter and grabs some paper towels to wipe up the mess.
“Jeez, dramatic much?” I chuckle.
“Uhm, I think my reaction is reasonable. You kissed fuckingJettCordier? Holy fuck! Damn, he’s so hot, too.” Dennis fans himself while I roll my eyes and smile at his ridiculousness.
“Settle down. It’s not like we’re dating or anything.”
“Seriously, what’d you do?”
“What do you think? I fucking kissed him back.”
