AllFreeNovel
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Caitlin wishes they could see themselves like this, the ease with which they share their space, the lightness with which they move. They’re not her sons, and they’ve been through plenty that has required them to grow up faster than many of their peers. But right now she can see them clearly as kids. Kids, playing. Kids, knowing the task isn’t asking for any responsibility on their part. There is something sublime in seeing them goof around. Standing there, waiting for them to figure out which sofa deserves five stars, she wishes them nothing less than a future of endless goofing around.
Maybe they share the same wish, because they spend much more time in the sofa emporium than any other customer that afternoon. They narrow it down to three sofa beds. Then two. They pull Caitlin onto each, so she can help judge. Lying there, snuggling in, staring up at the ceiling, it feels like home. The particular sofa bed becomes immaterial. The three of them bouncing, laughing, pretending to sleep—that, more than anything, is five stars.
—
Ryan still wantsit to be a date. They stop for a late lunch, get back to Caitlin’s. His stuff is everywhere, and he knows he needs to sort it out. But Avery doesn’t have to be here for that.
Ryan wants them to go somewhere, to do something, to share something besides the new logistics of his old life.
He wants them to go somewhere they’ve never been together. Do something new. Discover new things about each other. Because building a love is not like building a house. You still add to the foundation even as you live in the rooms.
He gets an idea and checks the weather on his phone. It looks like it might work. When Avery’s in the bathroom, he tells Caitlin about it. She smiles and tells him to go ahead. It doesn’t matter if he leaves his possessions all over the den. They can figure out where everything goes soon enough.
Avery returns to the room and knows something’s up.
All Ryan needs to say is “Let’s go” and Avery follows.
