AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The question flips over and over in my mind. For once, my life and my future choices are fully my own.
Why is that so terrifying?
My phone rings, and I snatch for it, thankful for the distraction. A grin plumps my cheeks when I see the FaceTime request.
“Chili dog!” I pull out my childhood nickname for my best friend Charlie, suddenly needing some nostalgia.
“Pancake!” He responds in kind, showing off his straight white teeth in a blinding smile. The effect is even more stunning against his maple brown skin.
I’ve missed his face.
“It’s good to see you. It has to be pretty late for you.” I glance at the clock on the oven. “What is it, like ten pm?”
“Eleven. Remember, New Orleans is an hour behind New York.”
“Oh yeah. Duh.” I find it funny that Charlie has my time zones down better than I do. I’m pretty sure he knows the time in every major city across the globe. Probably from all the traveling he did with his parents when he was younger.
Charlie Keller grew up two houses down from me and has been my best friend in the world since before I can remember. His mom has a beautifully soulful singing voice that she makes a living off of. Her tours take her around the world, and she always made sure to bring her little family with her. Sadly, that meant there were large chunks of time where my best friend was missing from my life, but he always came back in the end.
Now, a sales representative for a fabrics company, Charlie has lived on multiple continents. For the past two years, his home base has been Germany.
“I feel like it’s been forever since we last talked. Catch me up.” I carry my phone into the living room and get cozy in one of Mom’s favorite lounge chairs. As Charlie regales me with stories of his wild German adventures, Pumpkin saunters into the room. First, she lays her head on the armrest, giving me wide pleading eyes. I try to ignore her, but she doesn’t give up. Ever so carefully, she climbs up onto the chair and overtakes my lap.
“You experiencing an earthquake there or something?” Charlie’s voice floats out of the phone as I try to settle my arms around my dog while still holding the screen so I can see his face.
“Sorry. I have a pushy companion. You remember that dog I told you I found when I was running?”
Charlie raises one eyebrow, and the gesture has me thinking of Dash. I resolutely push the sexy dog trainer out of my mind, focusing back on my best friend.
“Yeah. I remember.”
“Well …” I tilt the camera until my grinning face appears next to Pumpkin’s square head.
“Holy shit. You actually adopted it?”
“Notit. Her. Say hello to Pumpkin.”
“You’re crazy, Pancake. But in a good way.”
Charlie’s approval of my adoption of Pumpkin eases an ache in my chest I didn’t realize was there. I guess I was more worried about my decision than I realized.
“I love her so much. She’s my new life partner.”
“Much better than your old one. You heard from that piece of shit?”
I grimace and relate the story of the disastrous lunch. When I get to the end, Charlie is somehow melding both muttered curses and laughter.
“That’s just…fuck…I can’t even comprehend how his brain works.”
“See, I’m the exact opposite. After eight years, I knowexactlyhow his brain works. Problem is, after all this time I’m not sure he knows me.” I suck in a breath. “I’m not sure I know me.”
Charlie scoffs, and I decide to focus on a different topic, not ready to delve into my lost psyche.
“How long do you think is a healthy time to wait before I start lusting after someone new?”
“Five minutes. Really, you should’ve gone straight out to a bar and slept with the first halfway attractive guy you saw.”
“Charlie!”
