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THERE WERE MANY reasons why it was nice to have the guy she was interested in living next door, but its single biggest downside was that he never stayed the night. Not having far to go seemed to mean that walking home was easier than climbing under the covers. So, not only did none of the kissing lead to actual sex, but also none of the making out led to a moment when she could lie satiated, warm and naked in his arms.
Taking it slow meant a physical relationship like she’d had in high school. There were orgasms, and they were great, but the fact that their relationship remained unconsummated left her feeling frustrated. Levi hadn’t exactly been what her mother would call “perfectly polite,” but that didn’t mean Mina wasn’t frustrated as she lay in bed at night, her hands under the covers.
All of these things combined meant that when Mina spied Echo walking past the house with Noodle after work, she burst out of her house to join her neighbor for the walk.
“Oh, good,” Echo said as soon as Mina joined her on the sidewalk. “You, lady, have a lot of explaining to do.”
“Explaining?” Mina asked, falling into step next to her friend.
“Uh, the whole neighborhood noticed that Levi’s car was in front of your house all night two weeks ago. All night.”
“Echo, he lives next door. Maybe he parked there because his garage was full of...equipment.”
Echo laughed so hard that Noodle barked. “You couldn’t even come up with something believable.”
“He didn’t stay the night,” Mina said, not sure why she was being defensive. She was old enough that she didn’t have to defend herself when a man spent the night, even to her mom.
“The sex was so good that he forgot he’d parked in front of your house?” Echo asked with delight in her voice. “Why’d he park in front of your house in the first place?”
“For our first date. It was sweet. He opened the car door for me and walked me to my door.”
“I always thought Levi seemed like an old-fashioned guy. Those quiet and hot guys are the ones you want to catch. So attentive.”
“Yeah,” Mina replied, not really feeling it.
“What? He’s not attentive? I’ve seen him cross that yard a couple times this week. And come out in the morning to say goodbye before you leave.”
“What are you? James Bond?”
Echo shrugged. “I walk the dog and have eyes. Plus, the action happening at your house is way more interesting than the Campos. And you didn’t answer my question.”
They stopped so Noodle could inspect and pee on a mailbox.
“Levi wants to take things slow,” Mina said under her breath, halfheartedly hoping Echo wouldn’t hear her.
“‘Slow’ means...”
They started walking again. “‘Slow’ means no sex.”
“Is it the HIV?”
“Thank you,” Mina said, as sincerely as she could.
“For what?” Noodle’s dart forward jerked to a stop as Echo halted and peered at Mina, honest questioning in her eyes.
“For not dancing around my illness. For not pretending it doesn’t exist.” Mina needed a support network in Missoula. While she thought her parents worried too much, she knew it had been a risk to move so far away from everyone she knew. And she hadn’t wanted to find out that the friends she was making would prove ignorant if something went wrong, and she needed them most.
It was heartening to realize that she already had two people who knew and whom she believed she could rely on.
Levi’s sister was a wild card that she didn’t want to think about.
“Thank you for not reacting like I’m a leper.”
“Oh, that.” Echo shrugged. “Getting breast cancer so young taught me how people are often afraid to face your illness, because doing so means they have to face their own vulnerability. And it’s not ‘taking your mind off everything’ if your friend sticks her fingers in her ears and says la-la-la every time the subject of chemo comes up. That’s real lonely.”
“It’s still nice. I appreciate it.” Mina’s words felt hollow to her ears, but there weren’t strong enough words in the English language to communicate her gratitude.
