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“We can go if you want. I’ll go pay the bill, and we can leave,” Sam offered, slightly disappointed but knowing he was struggling. She didn’t want to push him or make him more uncomfortable. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t Aero’s fault.
Aero felt horrible. Guilt washed over him, slowly replacing the panic. He’d ruined everything. He couldn’t go back in there, so he leaned to the side and pulled his wallet from his back pocket. Handing the whole thing over to Sam, his hands shook.
“Oh, no, that’s okay.” Sam held up her hands. “I told you I’d pay this time.”
“Please,” Aero rumbled, and Sam took his wallet. He was in no shape to argue with her, his face pale and drawn in the low light from the moon above. She decided to let it go and took a step away.
“I’ll be right back. Will you be okay here?” she asked, and Aero nodded, resting his elbows on his knees and breathing deeply again.
Sam walked toward the building, keeping an eye on Aero until she couldn’t see him anymore.
She explained to the hostess that her date was ill and asked for their meals to be boxed up. The hostess agreed and headed over to their table, gathering their plates.
When she returned with a paper bag, Sam opened Aero’s wallet to pay.
It felt weird to use someone else’s wallet, but she’d stupidly left her clutch with him on the tailgate. Opening the black leather, she found several twenty-dollar bills and handed them over. The meal had been expensive, making her feel unsettled, but she was in a hurry to return to him. When she removed the bills, something fluttered to the floor.
Sam handed the cash to the hostess and picked up the paper. It was a photograph.
A blonde woman smiled at the camera. She was young, with bright blue eyes and a wide smile. In her lap was a toddler, also blonde, with a familiar pair of green eyes. They both wore festive red sweaters, and the girl had bows in her curly pigtails.
Sam’s heart lurched, and she turned the photo over. In Aero’s familiar block print, it read,Sarah and Nora, Christmas 2017.
Tears filled Sam’s eyes. This was Aero’s family. Somehow, Sam knew he and Sarah weren’t just separated or divorced. Sarah was gone, which is why he’d gone catatonic at the waitress’s name. What had happened to Nora?
Not wanting Aero to catch her looking at the photo, she tucked it back in between the remaining bills so he couldn’t tell she had seen it, grabbed the paper bag, and walked back out to the truck. Aero was behind the wheel now, staring down at his lap.
“Hey,” Sam said, and he looked up. He looked a bit better — less pale, less shaky.
Sam got into the truck, set the bag by her feet, and handed over his wallet.
Aero tucked it into his pocket and sighed. “I’m sorry, Sam, really.”
“I know.” Sam gave him a gentle smile. “It’s okay.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” he promised, reaching for her hand.
She let him take it and settled into the seat as he drove toward her house.
They were both silent as he pulled up at the curb.
“Thank you,” Sam said, and Aero nodded.
She hesitated. She wasn’t ready to let him go.
“Would you like to come in?” Sam offered, her heart rate increasing at the idea of Aero in her house, in her space, in her bed…
“Okay,” he agreed, turning off the truck as they both got out and approached the door. Sam unlocked it and let him in, flicking on the entryway light and tossing her keys on the table by the door. Aero set the bag of food on the table, looking around the space. It was small and warm, decorated simply, and clearly occupied by women. There was a pile of shoes beside the door, fashion magazines stacked on the coffee table, and fluffy pillows on all the furniture.
“Um, have a seat,” Sam said, nodding to the sofa. Aero obeyed, quietly peering around the space.
Sam joined him, keeping a cushion between them. “Can I get you a drink?”
Aero shook his head, locking eyes with her.
“Do you want to tell me what that was all about?” Sam asked gently, wanting answers as much as she wanted to fill the silence.
Aero sighed and dropped his gaze to the rug.
