Page 21 of Fall Hard

“Me too.”

We were quiet for a few minutes, just listening to the breeze rustle the leaves in the trees and the footsteps of the people walking past, until our phones dinged simultaneously.

“Group message?” I wondered aloud, too lazy to check my cell and instead waiting for Bryn to catch me up.

“Yeah. Jamie’s having a party at Ryan’s.”

Crap. It wasn’t her birthday, was it? “What for? And why wouldn't she just have it at ours?”

“Doesn’t say.”

I made a non-commital noise. “I guess it saves us the clean up.”

“Wise.”

I laughed. “It’s not her birthday, right?”

“I have no clue but, knowing Jamie, if it was she would undoubtedly have been reminding us for weeks.”

“True,” I allowed. “When’s your birthday?”

“Why, you going to buy me something pretty?”

“Maybe.”

“It’s November seventeenth.”

“Winter baby.”

“Yeah, Kit was born in the spring.”

For some reason it felt like that fit, he was always bursting with color and that was what Spring-time was for me. “Mine’s March third, in case you want to return the favor.”

“Wow, free advice and now pretty presents… You’re more high maintenance than my last girlfriend.”

I sat upright and threw a bundle of the grass I’d pulled out of the ground at her. “Someone wanted to date you? I’m shocked.”

“That’s because the only time we were in bed together, we were asleep.” Bryn smirked and sat up too and I opted to ignore her comment with a laugh, feeling almost breathless as we stood to head home.

“When’s this party then?”

“Friday.”

Great. Practically a whole week for me to obsess over it before it happened. “I’m guessing I can’t sit this one out?”

“Exposure therapy,” she reminded me and I sighed. I’d figured she would say that.

* * *

“Okay, I can admit that wasn’t the worst thing in the world,” I said breathlessly to Bryn as we left the yoga studio and the cool night air hit us. I’d actually missed yoga, the deep breathing exercises often helped to calm my mind and despite it being dark out for the walk home I felt relatively relaxed. It was amazing how much more pleasant the experience had been when I wasn’t suffering from a ridiculously bad hangover or crushing embarrassment.

Bryn lowered her water bottle and smiled, her skin glowy and flushed from the exercise. I was probably going to hurt a lot tomorrow, and for the next few weeks until I got back into shape, but I didn’t mind too much. It was good to get out of the apartment and do something I’d once found a lot of comfort and control in.

“I, um, got something for you.” Bryn dug in her jacket pocket and handed over a small card. It was cream and a name was emblazoned across a large diamond-geometric design. I raised an eyebrow.

“You’re giving me the name of your therapist?”

“I don’t see her anymore. I found someone new when I moved here from Cali, but she does video calls now so I thought maybe…”

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