Page 77 of The Comeback Summer

Flipping back over to the One+One app, I figure I’ve made Adam wait long enough for Hannah.

HANNAHF:Hey! I’m going out of town this weekend. To Milwaukee for Summerfest.

That’s not true, of course. Hannah will be in town, going on a rock-climbing date with SethM, an accountant who is tall and athletic and has great reviews on LinkedIn and Yelp.

ADAMR:Sweet! Music festivals are 9/10.

HANNAHF:True. But porta potties are 2/10.

ADAMR:LOL

Adam:What’s your favorite thing to cook?

Adam:Doesn’t have to be for breakfast

It takes me a minute to realize that Adam is talking to me, Libby, not Hannah. This is exhausting—being two different people is hard enough without trying to be them at the same exact time.

Also, did he just casually take our conversation from professional to personal? I mean, it’s work adjacent, since it’s still about food. He could be mining for ideas, not trying to get to know me better...

God, my brain is exhausting sometimes. I look back down at the empty message field, taunting me to come up with a clever reply.

Libby:I’m an equal opportunity cook... I don’t like to play favorites.

Adam:Fair enough

Adam:Then what’s the last thing you cooked?

Libby:I tried a new pasta recipe last night with zucchini and feta—I’m taking the carbing up part of training very seriously

Adam:What are you training for?

Shit.Apparently if I don’t overthink something, I underthink it. I could have told Adam about the pasta without admitting that I’m training for an event I have no business participating in. The last thing I want is for him to picture me in workout gear, huffing and puffing my way through the obstacle course. Maybe I can make it sound like it’s not a big deal. He doesn’t have to know details.

Libby:Just a race. I’m doing it with my sister.

Adam:Like a 5k?

Libby:I wish. That would be easier.

I switch over to One+One, hoping that a message from Hannah will distract him into forgetting about me and my stupid race.

HANNAHF:What’s the last concert you went to?

Adam:A 10k?

Crap.I hate admitting the truth so much that I can’t evenbe excited that he wrote me back instead of answering Hannah first.

I crack my knuckles and take a deep breath.

Libby:Don’t laugh. But it’s the Down and Dirty.

Adam:The obstacle course race?

Adam:Why would I laugh? That’s awesome!

Libby:Maybe. But training is less than awesome.

Adam:Or maybe you’re just doing it wrong...

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