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I thought it was amazing when I bought one ticket. This Jeep is yours, Alec. I was feeling weird about keeping it, anyway.
Just after I sent that, my phone rang. It was Alec, and I answered it on the first ring.
"Hello?"
"Grace, you won that fair and square," was the first thing he said.
I let out a laugh. "No, I did not."
"You might have," he said. "You never know. Your ticket could have been the one that won."
"You know it wasn't," I said.
"I was going to donate to the school, anyway," he said. "My dad went there when he was a kid, before his family moved to Galveston. That's how he knows the school board guy. I would have given money anyway, Grace, so it's fine. I didn't really care if you won. But now that you did, that's a legit win. That Jeep is yours."
I thought about it for what it must've been twenty seconds while we sat in silence.
"How do you always manage to talk me into things, Alec?"
"I wouldn't have to, Grace, if we could just start at neutral. But as it stands, I have to talk you into everything because you don't want to hear anything from me at all."
"W-well, I'm definitely resistant to large gifts like vehicles, Alec. I was coming around to the idea of lunch, but vehicles are a different story."
He could hear the jovial tone in my voice, and he laughed. "It was a win," he said. "I donated to the school, and the end result was that you had a better chance of winning. I'm still convinced it was your ticket that won."
"I'm not going to look into it."
"What are you going to order for lunch?" he asked. "On Friday, when we meet up. Didn't you say breakfast for lunch?"
"Why do you need to know my order so early?" I asked.
"I don't. I was wondering if you're a pancake or fried egg person."
"A few bites of each, if I have my way, but savory if I have to choose. What about you? You used to love pigs in a blanket."
Alec laughed. "I still love those things. I haven't had those in years."
"I wonder if there's a restaurant that sells them," I said.
"Probably not. You'll probably have to make them for me sometime."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, can you cook?"
"I think I could handle some pigs in a blanket," I said confidently. I was flirting with him—hoping to make him happy. It was impossible to stop myself. I was drawn to Alec. I liked him. I never stopped liking him. I told myself this was all a big mistake, but it felt reasonable for him to ask me to let us start at neutral. He seemed apologetic and sincere. He seemed to have matured.
I talked to him for three hours on the phone that afternoon. We started talking about food, and then we talked about sports, art, music, God, school, and then back to food again. By the time we finished our conversation, he asked if I'd make him pigs in a blanket this coming Friday. I told him we'd meet somewhere for lunch and work our way up to hanging out at home.
I had so much fun talking to Alec. There was no pressure to build a relationship or admit that I trusted him or didn't trust him. Alec was back to being my old friend—the guy I had first fallen in love with during my ninth-grade year. He was thoughtful and funny, and I loved his outlook on life.
I went to bed that night with my heart so full that it was aching a little.
