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Chapter Eight
No Judgements. No Apologies.
Roman had done his best to try to teach me to skip stones on Monday night, but we’d eventually given up and just sat around chatting or in silence for a few hours. Tuesday, my stone skipping technique was still no good and I was practising when Roman’s appearance was unexpected but not unwelcome.
“I didn’t think you were coming. Thought you had better things to do tonight?” I asked. I didn’t really care, but Ihadthought he was going to a mate’s.
He shrugged. “I found myself here instead.”
I nodded and yelled as my next stone just plummeted into the lake.
“It’s fine, Barlow,” he chuckled. “It just takes practise.”
I sighed. “Yeah, it’s not the stones. I mean, it’s not helping. But…”
He nodded. “You want to talk about it?”
I shook my head. “There really isn’t anything to talk about. I just feel shit.”
“Yeah, fair enough. Pity party for two, yeah?”
I chuckled humourlessly.
“What?” he asked.
“I just never imagined, of all the people in my life, I could feel the most normal around you.” Yep, I’d been going to deny it until my dying breath. But, with the appearance of Roman went my filter.
“I feel like that’ssupposedto be a compliment…?”
I gave him a smile. “It just never crossed my mind that I’d come here instead of all the parties we’d been invited to or instead of sitting in my room with my movies because just sitting with you, even saying nothing, I feel less alone than I do anywhere else at the moment. I guess I’m trying to say thank you.”
“For what? I haven’t done anything a decent human being shouldn’t already be doing.”
“A, you’re talking about Mason now and that’s hardly fair. And B, you’re not supposed to be a decent human being, remember?”
He chuckled. “Oh yeah. I’d almost forgotten.”
I laughed and tried another stone. Of course, it failed.
“Come here.”
He stepped up behind me and put a hand on my waist while the other took hold of my wrist. Oddly, it didn’t feel weird or awkward. I didn’t even question it; I just took some comfort in the physical connection and let him get to his point.
He moved my arm back and forth. “Like this. Ready?”
“For what?”
“I’ll move your arm and tell you when to let go.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He moved my arm a couple of times again, then said “now” and I let go of the rock. It jumped twice before plonking into the water.
My arms shot up into the air as I whooped. He laughed, wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around. He finally let my feet down, but didn’t let me go.
“See, told you that you could do it,” he said, his lips close to my ear.
“Again!” I laughed, as I hugged his arms.
