Page 119 of June

“Well, when I liked you like that, that’s what I noticed. You never seemed to care about what anyone thought of you, and you have this quiet confidence that isn’t arrogance or ego. You just knew what you wanted, and you went for it. That’s what gotme, anyway. I had no confidence in myself back then and had no experience with women, either, and you seemed like you just understood everything.”

Enid laughed again and replied, “That is definitely not true.”

“Huh…” Jill uttered, sounding like she had just realized something, and tilted her head. “You know what I noticed?”

“Do Iwantto know?” Enid asked.

“For me, it was the opposite.”

“What do you mean?”

“You felt a little lost, like me,” Jill said with a shrug. “I mean, I do like my job, and I see a career there, but I’ve been feeling lonely for a while now, with all of my friends pairing up. Getting my new apartment helped, but I think when you and I really met, I saw that you might be in the same spot. It was nice to see someone who maybe felt like me, and I think that attracted me to you.”

“You were like a lost puppy,” Rory said with a playful smile.

“I still am,” Enid replied.

“You’re not, though,” Jill said. “You’re figuring things out. We all are. Rory has, like, eighty jobs and only just now had real sex for the first time because I’m choosing not to count the one guy who didn’t exactly give her much to talk about after, if you know what I mean.” Jill laughed a little. “Then, there’s me. I’m waiting on that promotion from Mel to give me some idea of what a career could look like doing what I do, but I’m still a little lost, and I’m still lonely, wondering when I’m going to meetthe woman I’ll spend the rest of my life with. It’s getting harder, though, not easier, because it seems like it’s all the time now that people around me are meeting their people. I don’t know if Caroline is your person or not, Enid, but you clearly like her enough to consider her in this decision, even if you’re pretending that you’re not.”

“Maybe that’s what Caroline sees,” Rory suggested.

Jill turned to her and asked, “What do you mean?”

“She seems to be confident in what she wants when it comes to Enid, but she’s also a little lost, right?” Rory leaned over the table toward Enid. “Maybe she sees someone who understands her while she’s figuring things out, but she also sees someone who’s confident in what they want. You want Caroline and a good career in business. She doesn’t yet have a major, but it seems like she knows she wants you.”

“I hope there’s more to it than that,” Enid said with a little laugh that she hoped hid her insecurity. “I have so much fun with her, Rory, but it’s not just that. I know she’s younger than us, but there’s something about her that feels older.”

“Like an old soul thing?” Jill asked.

“Yes. And I’m totally into that.”

“I get it,” Jill said. “That can be hot.”

“And when we kiss or when I touch her, it’s the only thing in the world that I want to do, but I also want to wake up with her and talk to her all the time, so it’s not just that, either. I don’t know what to do about this job because I feel like I have to at least go for it. It’s my future. We’re just too early and new for me to ask her for anything.”

“You can ask her what she wants,” Rory suggested.

“She said she wants us.”

“That’s a good thing,” Jill replied.

“But we would be long-distance, and she told me very clearly that she doesn’t want to live in Florida, so we wouldbe long-distance for a while. This company only has one office, so I’d have nowhere to transfer out of Florida. I’d have to get another job somewhere or see if they’d let me go remote later if we’re ever going to not be long-distance.”

Jill laughed hard and shook her head.

“What?” Enid asked.

“You’re already talking like your wedding will be before Logan and Rory say, ‘I do,’ and they’ve only met a month or two ago. Just chill out a little, Enid. What will be will be. If you and Caroline are still together when she graduates, you’ll figure out the next step then. You don’t have to worry about it all now.”

“But Iama worrier. I’ve always worried about five years from now today.”

“Doesshedo that?”

“No,” Enid said.

“Good. Let some of her rub off on some of you, then.” Jill shook her head again. “That came out wrong. You know what I mean. Just do the interview. If you get it, you’ll talk to your girlfriend and figure out what you both want. If she says that she doesn’t want to do the distance thing, you’ll need to decide what you want: do you stay and be with her, or do you go.”

“It’s an eight-hour drive,” Enid said. “And a two-and-a-half-hour flight.”

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