Page 33 of Please Don't Leave Me

“No, it was super late by the time we checked, so he actually spent the night. Then, this morning, we took Pepin on a walk to get some coffee. He just left a little bit ago.”

“So, basically, your first date lasted almost 24 hours, and you didn’t get sick of him, in addition to comingthreetimes? Marry that man. Right now.”

I laugh and start to tell her to chill out, but she cuts me off.

“No, wait! What happened to enjoying being single for a while? Lou, you’re not supposed to meet your dream guy this soon. You haven’t sucked enough dick yet.”

“How was I supposed to know he’d end up being so great? I honestly wasn’t even that blown away by hisprofile. I think I almost swiped left because I was getting so frustrated.”

“Do you guys have plans to hang out again?”

“No, we didn’t talk about it. And with the holiday coming up, I’m sure we won’t see each other until after.”

“Speaking of which. I’ll be home on Tuesday. Are we driving back home together on Wednesday?”

“That’s the plan. Mom said she wanted us there on Tuesday, but I told her you weren’t getting in till later, so we would just leave sometime on Wednesday.”

“Sounds good. Thanks for making the plans. I’ll be crazy jet lagged, but I’m hoping Thanksgiving dinner will put me in a food coma and give me a hard reset.”

“Sounds like some flawless logic to me.”

I hear a door slam on her end. “I have to go to a meeting, so I’ll talk to you later.”

“Wait,” I stop her before she hangs up, “I was talking about me so much I never asked how your night went. Did you hook up with that marketing girl?”

“No. Poor girl thinks she’s straight.”

“Maybe she actually is straight, B. You do know that not everyone is gay, right?”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“Alright, love you.”

“Love you too. Congrats on getting laid.” She hangs up before I can throw back a snarky reply.

The other night,after Sam and I finished, he threw his boxer briefs back on. I put on my silk pajama shorts and matching tank top, and we curled up in my bed and talked for a bit before we fell asleep. Pepin, of course,joined us on the bed since it's his spot, and Sam was just a guest. The three of us snuggled up in my queen bed looked like a clown car, but I loved it. Sam was the big spoon, I was the middle spoon, and Pep was the little spoon.

I don't even remember what we were talking about when I dozed off because all I could think about was Sam's hand on my bare waist. His hands are strong and calloused from all the physical labor he does. Last night, I learned that Sam’s company doesn't just do landscaping in the summer; it also does snow removal in the winter. Makes sense, I guess, since you can't do landscaping year-round in Minnesota.

He also bought a house a couple of years ago and has been fixing it up with the help of his brothers, mostly Quinn, since Jacob is in dental school.

He talks about his brothers a lot, which I think is really sweet, and I've told him all about B and her adventures. He hasn't told me much about his parents other than they're divorced, and I've gathered that he's not his dad's biggest fan.

This week is Thanksgiving, so B and I are headed back to our hometown to spend time with family. We'll be staying at our parents' house, and some of our extended family will join us for dinner on Thursday.

Holidays are pretty typical at our house. My aunt loves to ask questions that are way too personal. My grandfather is getting dementia and says some very out-of-pocket things that are usually insensitive. My mother worries that everything isn't going to get cooked on time, and my father tries to help, but when he gets shooed out of the kitchen by my mother, he joins everyone else in the living room and watches the parade or football.

Sam

Happy Thanksgiving, Lou.

Lou

Happy Thanksgiving to you too! Where are you headed first, your mom's or your dad's?

Sam

My dad's. We typically don't stay there long, so it's easier to dip out if we have the excuse of going to my mom's.

---