Page 10 of Out Of Time

“I already told you. I’m not good at this sort of thing.”

“But what if you are? What if you just need the right person to show you that you are capable of friendship, and conversation, a house full of memories, pictures, andlove?”

She watched as he shrunk into himself.

“And what?You’rethe person to show me that?” he asked, a hint of challenge in his voice.

“I’d like to be.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because, Max, I’ve got all this hummus and a free afternoon.”

“I might disappoint you,” he said shyly.

“Youmightdisappoint me. That’s always a possibility. But you also might surprise me, and you might just surprise yourself, too.”

***

When he got down to the beach, he found Remi had already laid out a blanket for the two of them. She sat cross-legged, her feet bare and her hair pulled up in a messy blonde knot on the top of her head. When she turned to smile at him, he noticedshe wore classic Ray Ban sunglasses, just the same as him, and everything about her vibe was welcoming.

Remi was a cool ocean breeze on a hot day. She was all of the best parts of the West Coast in human form: sunshine, carefree comfort, walking barefoot in the hot sand.

His stomach fluttered.

“Why do you still have your shoes on ya’ big goon?” she teased, and he looked down at his Sk8-Hi Vans and wondered the same damn thing.

“I didn’t think to take them off,” he said, sitting next to her on the blanket.

“So, what's in the bag?” she asked.

“I didn’t know what you like, so I got a little bit of everything,” he said shyly, reaching into the farmers market tote to pull out a glass bottle of fresh lemonade. “This was made this morning,” he said, “but it just dawned on me that we don't have any cups.”

“That’s okay, we can drink straight from the bottle. I won’t backwash, I promise.”

His entire body stiffened.

“Or not?” she said reluctantly.

It wasn't that he didn't want to share a drink with her. He didn’t care. He shared a locker room and showers with a bunch of men, so sharing a bottle of lemonade didn't scare him.

His body had stiffened at the thought of her lips and his lips sharing something. It was so far from being a kiss, and yet the most intimate thing he could imagine doing with her at this moment. Sharing a drink felt like something sacred when sitting next to Remi. He wondered what sharing himself would feel like. His life, his past, his mind… his heart?

“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind,” he said.

“Okay, but if you don’t want to, I can run up to your house and get some cups.” She looked behind her at his house only feetaway from where they sat in the sand, the ocean pushing and pulling, working masterfully in front of them.

He didn’t do this enough—enjoythisenough.

“It’s fine. Really.” He continued to pull other things he had gotten from the farmers market out of the tote, fresh strawberries and blueberries, a bag of plantain chips, a jar of pickled veggies, and a bag of “California” trail mix that was essentially just normal trail mix with dried pineapples added.

“Well, looks like we have ourselves a proper picnic now, thanks to you,” she said, reaching into her own worn tote and pulling out the infamous hummus and pretzels.

“I’ve never done this,” Max said, looking at the spread of fresh goodies in front of him.

“Had a picnic at the beach?”

“Yeah. You would think I come down to the water often, considering I live here. But I’m on the road a lot with hockey, and I sometimes forget to enjoy the simple things in life.”

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