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“No… I had a huge crush on Jessie,” I admit.
“Please… I bet you it was only because of that stripper movie. God, my brother would practically watch that movie every night on mute.”
“My turn to be disturbed. Sure… it was a great movie. Really educational,” I lie pathetically.
“Educational, my butt. Oh, look at this apple… it kinda looks like a butt!” She laughs really hard, and I can’t help but mimic her actions. It could’ve been a clone of J.Lo’s butt, it’s that exact.
The laughter dies down as the conversation switches to a more serious topic.
“If Chelsea were here today, do you think you would’ve stayed together?” she asks.
The question catches me off guard. It’s something I’ve never thought about until now.
“Knowing Chelsea, she’d have married a jock. She was too into being popular.”
“That’s normal at that age.”
“Maybe…”
“Charlie mentioned you the other day,” she blurts out.
I shift my head down. Am I supposed to answer that? My silence isn’t helping, but I haven’t thought about Charlie in a while.
“I don’t know how to respond to that,” I say, lowering my voice.
“Well, what’s the first reaction you had in your head?”
“To ignore you. That I shouldn’t talk about her. I don’t want to talk about her. That I hadn’t thought about her for a while.”
Adriana purses her lips. “She’s incredibly grateful for what you did. After all, if it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t be living and breathing… neither would her daughter, Ava.”
I remain quiet, unsure about how to respond.
“And she hopes you’re recovering.”
“Did you—”
“No,” Adriana interrupts. “My therapy, Hazel, and our group, I keep to myself. I like to keep things private and away from everyone who knew Elijah.”
I nod, understanding her need to keep things to herself given her family and friends are known to be intrusive.
“If Charlie could reach out to you, I know she would. But my brother is—”
“I’m not here to cause a rift between them, okay?” I run my hands through my hair, trying to make sense of my thoughts. “It’s just…”
“You’re scared?”
“Not scared. It’s just that, for once I feel like I’m moving forward with life. I’m breaking down all my walls. I’ve actually got a date with someone tonight.”
“A date?” The pitch of her tone is high, and I see her attempt to pull an apple from its stem impatiently. Her body language changes as her shoulders tense.
Quick to brush it off, I reply, “Someone I used to work with. It’s just dinner.”
“Dinner leads to sex, Julian. You’re a male, after all,” she says plainly.
“That’s a very stereotypical comment,” I tell her, slightly offended. “It’s not all about sex.”
Despite what people think, it really isn’t. I’m at a point in my life when I know the difference. Sometimes I need a good fuck, and other times I crave companionship. They don’t always mix together, and it’s for that exact reason why I have to set boundaries and not fall for the obvious.
