Page 46 of Say Something
“I’m sorry I’ve ruined our sex life. But if you recall, we werejust having fun, as you put it, andnothinghappened! That’s why I’ve started using the ovulation predictor kits and-”
“See? That!Ovulation Predictor Kits.That’s notsexy, Jess.”
“You’re right, Danny. It’s notsexy. It’slife. It’s our life. It’s what we have to do.”
“But we don’t have to do all that. Can’t you see? Youwantto do all that. But we don’thaveto. We can just let it happen naturally.”
“But it wasn’t happening naturally!” I screamed.
He stared at me, open-mouthed. I’d never yelled at him before. He didn’t know what to say or do. Hell, I didn’t know what to say or do. I turned away from him and ran up the stairs to our bedroom. He didn’t call after me, he didn’t follow me.
I laid on our bed and waited. He never even came to bed. In the morning, I found him asleep on the couch with a pillow and blanket from the linen closet. So he hadn’t even just accidentally fallen asleep on the couch, he’d planned to sleep there.
My heart cracked.
What was happening to us?
“Hey there,” Danny said, bringing me back to the present.
I looked to the kitchen doorway, surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
He smiled that crooked smile. “Well, seeing as though this is my mom’s kitchen, shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”
“Probably so. I was out for a walk and stopped by to say hi to your mom. Your turn.”
“Mom texted me a few minutes ago, saying that she had pie. Now I’m pretty sure it was a set up.”
I knew it was a set up. I put a forkful of pie in my mouth. “It’s delicious.”
He cut a slice of pie for himself and sat across from me at the table. “Did you two have a nice visit?” he asked.
“We did,” I said, smiling.
“Will you have dinner with me?” he asked next, surprising me with his boldness.
“Like a date?”
“Yeah,” he said, nodding. Then he frowned. “No, notlikea date. An actual date. A real date.”
I looked down at my pie. “I don’t know, Danny.”
“Please, Jess. Just think about it. You don’t have to answer me right away. Promise you’ll think about it?”
His brown eyes looked so hopeful, I couldn’t help but nod. “Yeah, I’ll think about it.”
His answering smile was big, but it didn’t reach his eyes...his eyes remained cautious. “Thanks, Jessie.”
We continued to eat our pie in silence, and I didn’t refuse when he offered me a ride home.
Progress. We were making progress.
