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“Shut up with that. It’s not fine. You were crying. Come here before your mom wakes up. Meet me on the bench.”
She shakes her head, and her moonbeam hair dances in the midnight breeze. “Fine.”
I snake myself around the house in the shadows to their backyard. It’s a garden I know like my own. I spent as many hours here as Logan has at mine over the years, and there’s only one bench. It sits in the middle of Joy’s flower garden, a place that even I can appreciate.
I pad my feet along the stepping stones from the grass to its middle where the bench is. The scent of honeysuckle fills the air. Crickets sing, and the trees blow with a rustling breeze that almost relaxes me. But then the crunch of gravel rounds the bend of the house, and there is Jolie, in her pajama pants and a winter coat snuggled around her body. It might be near summer, but the temperature drops here in the mountains.
She approaches with her arms wrapped protectively around herself. I tap the wood next to me, and she sits. Words aren’t my forte, but the best ones are typically simple.
“I’m sorry. I can’t do what you asked. It’s not because you aren’t pretty. You’re the coolest girl I’ve ever met. I don’t want you thinking you’re not… worthy. You mean a lot to me, Joey. We’re family.”
“Stop saying that. We’re not related.” She hugs herself more securely.
“No. But… I want to be your friend forever. Doesn’t that mean more than a fucked-up night that confuses everything we know about each other?”
She considers my words while staring at the ground in front of her. She hasn’t looked me in the face yet. A beat passes, but she’s not ready to let it go. “It wouldn’t confuse anything. It’s just sex.”
I let out a tight laugh. “You don’t mean that. And it isn’t just sex. What I do with girls at college is just sex.”
She bumps into my side. “Ew. Dude. Come on. Are you here to make me feel better or worse?”
“See?”
“See what?” She finally raises her chin to gaze at me.
I tuck fallen hair behind her ear and caress my finger along her jaw. “You’re jealous.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m not jealous.”
“You are. And that’s why it won’t bejust sex. It’s more than sex when two people care about each other. And I care about you.”
She flops her head to the side and purses her lips, still resisting me.
“Hold out your pinky.”
She narrows her eyes. “Why?”
“Just do it.”
She extends her tiny feminine finger, and I curl my own around hers.
“I promise I’ll always be your friend. You can count on me to help you. To protect you.” I lean my forehead against hers. “Even though I know you don’t need it.”
She blows a laugh out of her nose and takes her forehead off mine, her round eyes beaming stronger than the moonlight. God, I hope I make her feel better.
“Joey, I want to be your friend. I know it isn’t what you asked tonight, but I promise it to you anyway.”
A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. “I guess it’s better than nothing.”
I yank on her pinky. “Friendship isn’t better than nothing. It’s better than most things. Trust me. It’s the basis for all things worthwhile in life. I’m offering you my best.”
She lowers her eyes, but we still hold hands. Though I can’t see her face well, her cheeks round the way I’m used to.
“I bet you’re not that good in bed anyway.”
I laugh. “Exactly. I’m terrible.” I let go of her hand and wrap my arm around her, pulling her into me because it’s cold out here and I don’t want the chill to reach her.
She puts her head on my shoulder. “I’m still a little sad.”
