“What about this afternoon?”
“I have to study. Which would be a lot more fun if I got to sleep past seven this morning.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Mark, we don’t have to do this. Make this into something it’s not.”
“I want to hang out with you, Sydney. Not because we are having a baby together but because I genuinely want to be around you.”
The line goes so quiet that I pull the phone back to see if she hung up.
She didn’t.
She’s probably just as shocked by my outburst as I am.
“Fine, but I get to pick out what we do.”
“That works for me.”
“I’ll send you an address tomorrow.”
“Why not just tell me now?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” She laughs. “Goodbye, Mark.”
I hang up and set my phone down.
“Well, I’ll be. You do know how to smile.” Ms. Coraline winks at me.
I guess I do.
Because of Sydney.
I refill my cup and do the same for Ms. Coraline.
Today is off to a great start. Sydney didn’t shut me down, but just because she said yes this time, doesn’t mean she will for everything.
She’s going to make me work for this, isn’t she?
Sydney
I didn’t go crazy when it came to picking out something to do with Mark.
But I’ve really been wanting to do this escape room. Normally, I do them with June, but she’s been so busy lately that I took my open window with Mark.
Plus, it didn’t hurt that he said he actually wanted to hang out with me. I miss hanging out with him, too, but I’m not going to be the first to admit it.
I still didn’t expect him to say yes so quickly to me picking the activity.
Mark steps through the main doors and cautiously looks around the small building. The smile he gives me reminds me of our first day of class together last semester. I’d been crying—boys tend to have that hold over girls sometimes—when he stepped into the room. It was just us. He didn’t ask why I was crying or even try to make it better. He just sat next to me and started to read his book. When the tears stopped, he looked at me and smiled.
It was a smile that actually made me feel like someone was seeing me.
Just like he’s doing right now.
“What is this place?” He nods toward the check-in counter where a single man is standing in front of a long hallway with three doors on each side. “Is this like a secret club of some kind? Oh, shit, are you in a cult?”
I roll my eyes at the familiar teasing. “Yes, you caught me. I’m in a cult.”
