Page 70 of When In Doubt
“No.” I don’t mean to snap, but I do. “It’s not a big deal. Doesn’t everyone have a shitty ex?” I pick up my glass and swish the ice around like it might help me go back in time and shut myself up before I ever let Aaron into this moment.
“Shitty how?”
“It really doesn’t matter.”
“Seems like it does.”
“It’s just stupid stuff, and we really don’t have to talk about it.”
“I’m asking because I care, Freya. If it’s upsetting you, then I wanna know.”
“Why? So you can go beat him up for me?”
“Does he need beating up?”
Yes. “No.”
He doesn’t look like he believes me, but he cuts me some slack anyway. “Then, maybe I just want you to know that I’m here. If you ever want to talk about it, then you can talk about it with me.”
The clinking of ice rings loud in the silence, and I set the glass down with a thud. “Thanks,” I force out.
He doesn’t say anything else for a long time and I can feel the familiar panic start to rise. Did I ruin this? Have I made it so uncomfortable that he won’t want to hang out again? I scratch at the edge of my thumbnail until the skin turns an angry red.
“Oh shit, I just remembered I have something for you,” he says.
I snap my head up at the change in Oscar’s tone. Gone is the serious, probing gaze. He’s back to his playful, goofy self—one I’ve been getting more and more of lately. He starts digging around in his pocket until he finds his phone.
“Look.” He makes a few quick taps at the screen, and then flips it around so I can see. “I finally got a picture!”
Peering at the screen I see a slightly grainy photo of Gloria and, just like the legend says, a brown-and-white cat is strapped to her front in a baby sling. She’s turned away from the camera, so I’m not getting the full effect, but I still cover my mouth to suppress a gasp.
“Holy shit,” I breathe out, reaching to zoom in further. “She really does wear the cat.”
“Told you.” His face is all smugness as he pockets the device again.
“That was a super creepy picture, though.” I put on a mock frown. “It had real stalker energy.”
“I followed her for three blocks trying to get one clear enough for you to see.”
“How many pictures did you take of this poor woman?” I exclaim.
“You don’t want to know.”
“Is your whole camera roll just, like, creepy pictures of the people around town.”
“No, I promise I only get weird when I’m trying to impress a pretty girl.”
I flush at the compliment. He threw it out so naturally, like he wasn’t even trying to flirt. I look down at my watch and realize I’ve had the store closed for almost ninety minutes. Usually I only close for an hour when I take lunch. “Crap, I’d better get back.”
He blinks a few times, then gives me a wide smile. “Yeah, of course.”
I stand, grabbing my coat off the back of my chair and hurrying to get it on. When one of my hands catches in the lining, I end up flailing, flapping my arm around in an attempt to shake myself loose. Oscar chuckles. “Here.” He takes my forearm and starts working the satin apart until my fingers come loose. But even when I’m free, he doesn’t let me go. He threads our fingers together and starts heading for the door.
There’s a moment before my brain catches up where I just stand there, watching the space between us stretch, only our linked hands tethering us to one another. But just before it starts to pull, I finally get my feet to obey and follow after him, a wave of thanks to Becca tossed over my shoulder before we leave the diner, hand in hand.
It’s lucky he’s here to guide me across the road, or else I think I’d just step out into traffic. My brain is a loop of Oscar, hands, holding hands, hands, hands, hands. I stare at the place where our palms meet. How is he so casual about this? How is anyone? My skin tingles like cold hands over a fire and I never want the warmth to end.
I almost groan as we reach the shop and I have to wiggle out of his grip to fumble with the keys. After a second, we make it inside, and suddenly I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.
