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“We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry,” I say as we walk toward the exit.
“You’re not upset with me?” she asks. She glances up at me, nibbling on her bottom lip. How could I possibly be upset with her, especially when she looks at me like that? A week ago, I wouldn’t have believed a word she said. I’d have thought she planted those rumors to get a rise out of me. And it would have worked, too. But now…now she could do just about anything, and I’d let her get away with it.
“No,” I say.
The gym is packed this afternoon. Seth, Jameson, and I are doing squats at the back of the gym, trying to avoid the crowd of people waiting for the machines. Well, Jameson and I are doing squats. Seth is using us as his own personal therapists, talking about all his fears of becoming a new parent. And that list of fears is a mile long. Will he be able to change poopy diapers without gagging? Will he spoil the baby beyond repair? What if he forgets what his baby looks like (because they all look the same) and takes the wrong one home from the daycare?
I would say I’m worried for my future niece or nephew, but this is Seth. He overthinks and gets anxious about everything, but when the time comes, he’s always up for the challenge. I have no doubts he’ll do the same this time. He’ll be a great father.
I finish my set and shake out my legs as Seth says, “Enough about me, though. What’s this I’ve been hearing about you and a certain woman who recently moved back to town?”
Jameson stops what he’s doing and smiles at me with a knowing grin. He slaps my back and says, “Don’t try to lie. Your face just now said it all.”
“The rumors are not true,” I tell them before they can get too excited. I explain the situation from the night of Seth and Hannah’s party, leaving out that Norah had cancer last year. She wants to keep it private for whatever reason, and I want to respect that. It’s obvious they think it’s weird that I brought her to my house instead of taking her home, but I don’t know how to get around that while allowing Norah to keep her privacy. Thankfully, they don’t ask about it.
“But you do like her,” Seth says after pondering everything for a minute.
“Yeah, I do.”
I used to think Norah Sullivan was just an annoying girl who talked too much. But I was wrong. I’ve grown up since then. I’m not the jerk I used to be when I was sixteen. The more I get to know her, the more I find I actually enjoy being around her. I want to be around her all the time and find out even more about her.
Norah is a breath of fresh air on a stressful day. The way she breezes into a room with a smile on her face puts me at ease and reminds me that maybe I don’t have to let everything affect me so much. She brings a bit of silliness and fun to mundane things, and sometimes I wish I could be like that. Maybe, with her by my side, I can be.
“So, what are you going to do about it?” Jameson asks.
“I don’t know yet.”
