Page 28 of Aim for Love

Mollieand her friends will be at the bar, and they’ll be talking about me. I know these things like facts. So I’m reluctant to go out with Scott and Tyler. I do anyway, hungry for more time with Mollie and, OK, yes, more information.

Am I merely part of her “summer adventure story” or is there more to this?

They’re at a hotel rooftop bar in the middle of the main strip of town. We’re only about four stories up, as high as buildings in Telluride get, but it’s still open-air. The air is crisp, having cooled down after sunset. The women are wearing jackets. Tyler brought Zoe, who I recognize immediately by her signature red scarf.

Sophie, who is apparently about to move to a state where weed is illegal, is asking Zoe about her vape pen. Scott is flirting with Nora, as usual. And Mollie is asking Tyler why he moved to Telluride—making him shift foot to foot.

“I retired sort of abruptly and needed a change,” he says, a line I’ve heard him use before when he’s trying to get out of thistopic of conversation. I come up behind him and clap him on the back.

“Hi, Mollie,” I say, without moving closer. I’m pretty sure we’re not in a “greet each other with a kiss hello” relationship.

Her smile up at me makes me wonder. “Hi, Hunter.” We stare at each other for a beat too long, and Tyler looks between us with eyebrows raised.

“Um,” Mollie goes on. “I was asking Tyler why Telluride? I mean, it’s gorgeous. But it’s so small and doesn’t it get snowed in during the winter?”

“We get plenty of snow here,” I agree. Of course the idea of living in Telluride sounds ridiculous to a city girl. I try to ignore the twinge from her criticism—it’s a reminder she won’t stay. “Does anybody need another drink?”

“You sit down,” Tyler says quickly, taking the opening I left him. “I’ll get us all a round.”

Tyler is one of those people who came to Telluride to escape. He doesn’tmindbeing cut off from the rest of the world. That was one of his goals, as a man who once appeared on many front pages and TV news programs. He doesn’t like explaining that to strangers, either.

I sit down on the bench beside Mollie and she smiles at me. Again, it crosses my brain that she’s waiting for a more robust greeting. I’m not sure, so the moment passes. “Have you ever lived anywhere else? Or are you addicted to the adventures?” she asks.

“Yes, nailed it.” I reply, even though it’s not quite that easy. She’s right that living in Telluride isn’t easy, even as a local. It’s hard to find sustainable work and housing here. “At first it was just seasonal work, from back when I was a teen. I actually started as a ski instructor. And then I met Tom and started helping during shoulder season. Eventually, he was able to offerme a year-round job. It made sense. I’m lucky. I get to do work I love full-time.”

“It can’t pay very well, though, right?” Nora sits down on Mollie’s other side and Scott crashes onto the bench beside me.

“Do you need a drink?” Scott asks me. Now it’s my turn to be saved by a friend. Obviously, I don’t like talking about my salary or how little I’m saving for the future. Or how my body will eventually give out and I’ll be out of work, much like Tyler—who at least had a more lucrative career before that happened.

“Tyler’s getting them,” Mollie says.

“I’m going to see if he needs help,” I say, hopping up.

The question I’m running away from is a fair one. And Nora’s probably making sure her friend doesn’t get any long-term ideas about “a fling.”

Standing at the bar with Tyler, I glance back at them. Nora and Mollie are laughing at something Scott said. Scott and Nora’s flirtation is clearly so flimsy it will blow away by the end of the week. And that’s probably what Mollie wants from me, too. Iknowit’s what Nora and Sophie want from me for their friend. I’m really trying to be that for Mollie—if only so I can spend more time with her.

It would be easier if I was that kind of guy. The kind I look like to them: the happy-go-lucky, not-worried-about-tomorrow kind of guy. The truth is, I worry constantly.How late is too late to start a 401k? What skills am I building that I can lean on in the future?Who am I going to grow old with?

It won’t be Mollie. She’s leaving at the end of the week. But instead of telling myself I’m wasting my time with her, I’m greedy for the time we have. I wish we were alone right now, instead of in this crowd.

“You’ve got it bad, huh?” Tyler says, startling me out of my staring contest with the future I can’t have.

“Oh, um…”

Shrugging, he hands me two pint glasses. “I’m not going to tell you to be careful. Sometimes something unexpected turns into the most fun you ever had. Maybe you should go with the flow. For once.”

Go with the flow. Tyler’s words dance inside me as my eyes meet Mollie’s. For a moment the rest of the bar disappears and all I see is how her entire face brightens with her big smile. A big smile that feels like it’s only meant for me. “Yeah, I’m good at that.”

Pulling me back into the conversation, Tyler smirks. “Think of it like a river you’re navigating. You have to go with the current. Plus, steering around obstacles can be the best part.”

“Is Mollie the river in this metaphor?”

“Mollie’s in the boat with you, man.”

Following Tyler back to the table, I wonder about his advice.IsMollie in this with me? Watching her raise her head and smile at me again as I come nearer, I want to believe she is. After only a few days knowing her, I’m not sure and I don’t know how I’d ask.

“You two are so cute,” Sophie says. “Stop pretending you’re not super into each other.”

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