Page 45 of Keeping it Casual
“He seems to be doing okay. I don’t know, he doesn’t talk to me much about school. Jeremy suggested maybe I should jointhe parent’s group. Apparently, they have a really active one at the local high school. Maybe if I’m more involved at the school, I’ll have a better handle on what’s going on in his life.” I pull out a packet of chocolate chip cookies because I know my sister’s weaknesses well.
“Who’s Jeremy?” Steph asks as she takes one of the cookies.
“I’ve told you about Jeremy,” I say.
“Wait, the physiotherapist guy whose party you went to last weekend?”
“Yeah, that’s him. We’ve been hanging out a bit.” I try to keep my voice neutral, but her highly honed big sister instincts quickly latch onto my evasiveness.
She narrows her eyes. “Wasn’t Jeremy the name of the guy the whole town was trying to set you up with when you first arrived here?”
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“So he’s gay?”
“Yes, he is.”
It’s almost like the universe is pranking me because, as I say that to Steph, my phone beeps.
And even though I’m pretty sure I’m just providing more ammunition to whatever suspicions are currently frolicking in Steph’s head, I can’t stop myself from checking the message.
Sure enough, it’s Jeremy.
Just doing a little DIY project in my backyard today.
And he’s sent me a photo of some half-built steps that appear to lead up to his back fence.
I can’t stop the smile from overtaking my face.
Steph raises an eyebrow. “Is that message from Jeremy?”
“Ah…yeah.”
She leans forward to look at my screen, but I pull away from her.
“What has you smiling like that?”
“It’s not for sisterly consumption.” I stick the phone back into my pocket.
Her eyebrows fly up. “So, it’s that type of friendship, is it?”
“We might have a friends-with-benefits arrangement going on,” I say as the kettle whistles. “You want a cup of tea?”
“Yes, please.”
I bustle around, making two cups of tea.
“So, you’re telling me there’s this guy you hang out with all the time, who you message frequently, and you’ve also started hooking up with.”
“Yep.”
When I look up from my stirring, her gaze pins me. “Remind me exactly how this is different from a relationship?”
“Because we say it is.” I pass her the cup of tea.
“Oh, now that’s the most convincing argument I’ve ever heard. People should come to you for debating lessons.” She leans back against the counter, clutching her mug, and gives me a cynical look.
I don’t need a reminder about how much I’m pushing the boundaries of this friends-with-benefits thing with Jeremy. I think of the way I crave him when we’re apart, even when it’s only the length of our backyards between us.
