“Whatever we want,” I said. “Let’s just hang out. Just enjoy this moment.”
“Is this a date?”
“Do you want it to be a date?”
“I don’t know. Or is this how you treat all the women you sleep with?”
“April.”
“Sebby.”
“When did we first hold hands?”
April sighed and shut her eyes for a moment. “Fuck. I hate you.”
“I know. But tell me.”
April put her hand out for me to take.
I interlocked my fingers tight with hers and we began to walk again.
She sighed one more time, even louder.
“Just talk to me,” I said.
“I hate that you don’t remember these moments,” she said. “I feel like I’ve lived in a different universe.”
“Try me, April,” I said. “I get hit a lot. Maybe parts of my memory don’t exist anymore.”
“Trust me, Seb, you never would remember this. It was out on the rocks. You and Andy and a couple girls were going out there to drink. I think Andy stole a bottle of vodka. Or maybe it was that stuff with the gold flakes in it. I just remember you were all going and I had nothing to do. So I wanted to go. You and Andy told meno way. That made me mad.”
“We just didn’t want you to see what was going to happen,” I said. I smirked. “You know, with our dates and all.”
“Gross,” I said. “I decided to be a pain in the butt over it.”
“Shocker.”
“So I tagged along. The plan was for me to hang around and stay out of the way. I think Andy decided it was smart to have me there to be sober. Total pity for me.”
I cringed a little.
April was always a pain in the ass like that.
Always wanting to linger.
Ironic enough, I wanted her closer than ever now.
“I wanted to go on the rocks too,” she said. “So I climbed up and started to slip. That’s when you grabbed my hand.” She shrugged her shoulders again. “You held my hand the entire time I was there. We walked on the rocks together and then you helped me down. You ditched your date for me. For a few minutes.”
“And that sticks with you?” I asked.
“That sticks with me, Seb. I’ve had a crazy crush on you sinceforever. Okay? Everything you’ve ever said or done. It’s all in me.”
April blinked a few times as though she was going to cry.
“Okay, I get it,” I said. “But I’ve got one for you.”
“One what?”