Page 53 of Between Then and Now
“Well, I thought I forgot to pack my other charger, and I took that one last minute. When I rented this car last week, I left the charger in the glove compartment.”
“Thanks,” I say. Then my phone buzzes and a message pops up. We both look at the screen and see John’s name on the display. I don’t know why but I’m more concerned about howRyan reacts than what the message bears. He quickly returns his eyes to the road and mumbles a ‘sorry’.
I take my phone and read the message.
John: Hey, Bon. Been trying to get ahold of you. We still on for tomorrow?
I glance at Ryan very slightly. His left hand is firmly gripping the steering wheel, and his watch momentarily glistens in the glow of the streetlights. His right hand holds the gear shift. I only realize now that this is a manual car, and Ryan has been driving stick. Show off.
His masterful stoic expression is not too mastered this time, a hint of apprehension is playing in his eyes. My heart wants to tell me that it’s because of me. Because he’s concerned about the message from John. But my brain, finally in her right senses, convinces me that he has his own issues and own matters to attend to. He may be worried about Alexa, and truth be told, he probably is.Pull your head down from the clouds, Bon.
I shake my head to bring me back to reality. I hold my phone, my fingers lingering before I type my message back.
Me: Definitely. See you then.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Ryan
She has a date with John tomorrow, and I still have one with Alexa. Well, technically, I won't by the end of the night. I called her earlier to talk tonight, because if I’m truly on a quest to be honest with myself and with Bon, I have to be honest with Alexa first.
And I can’t stop Bon from going out with John if she wants to. So, I choose not to say anything for now and plan how I’ll talk to her once I cancel with Alexa.
The ride back is surprisingly quiet, with only the soft hum of the engine filling the space between us. I glance over to see Bon asleep, but it’s not the cute, peaceful kind of sleep. Her head is tilted all the way back, her mouth hanging open in a way that makes me wonder if she’s having an epic dream or if she’s just completely wiped out. The sight makes me chuckle softly to myself
Once we arrive back at the inn, I gently nudge Bon, hoping to wake her up softly. “Bon, we’re here,” I whisper. But nothing about Bon is gentle; she jolts awake with a startled scream, jumps in her seat, and hits her head on the window with a loud thud.
“Ow!” she exclaims, rubbing her head and looking around in confusion. Her disoriented expression and the sheer shock of the moment make me stifle a laugh. “I hate you.” She chuckles as she steps out of the car.
“I was being as gentle as I could,” I say as I step out too. The quietness of the surroundings is a stark contrast to the noise inside the car and we walk back together.
When we arrive in the room, Bon plops onto her bed, stomach-down, letting out a long, exaggerated groan. “Ughhh, I’m so tired,” she mumbles, her voice muffled by the mattress.
“Get some rest, Bon. You were supposed to take it easy on your first day out of bed,” I say, sitting on the side of her bed. I reach out, wanting to touch her back in a comforting gesture, but I hesitate, my hand hovering in the air. At that moment, Bon turns over, now lying on her back. Her eyes widen as she sees me with my arm raised, frozen in place.
“Whatareyoudoinghere?” she asks in a rush as she props her elbows behind her.
I quickly lower my arm, feeling a bit awkward. “I was just... checking if you were okay,” I say, trying to brush off the moment.
She sits up completely and looks at me. She gives me a tired smile and runs her fingers through her hair. “I’m fine, Ry. Really. I just need to take a shower.” She gets out of bed and heads toward the bathroom.
“I’ll just go out for a while, you’ll be okay?” I ask.
Bon is quiet for a moment, as if thinking about what to say. But instantly, she smiles at me–too enthusiastically–and says, “Yeah. You don’t have to babysit me. I’m okay. You don’t have to feel responsible for me or whatever. You can do your own thing. I can manage, really, Miller.” She turns her back.
“Bon, that’s not–” and she shuts the door behind her. I rub my temples as I realize that Bon might be angry with me. I have no idea why, though.
I carefully make my way out of the room and walk to the restaurant to cancel the date with Alexa. I can’t fathom ever turning down an opportunity with her. One of the main reasons I even joined this mission was to be closer to her, to explore thepossibilities that might exist between us. Yet, I never anticipated that Bon would become the unexpected catalyst for this change. The very person who complicated my feelings for Alexa is the reason I had a chance with her in the first place.
When I enter the restaurant, I wait for Alexa at one of the tables. She appears minutes later, still looking beautiful. Normally, her smile would make my heart race. But today, as I watch her approach, I don’t feel the familiar nervous flutters that used to accompany my thoughts of her. Instead, there’s a strange sense of liberation in realizing that I’m no longer bound by those anticipatory nerves.
“What’s with the urgency?” Alexa says as she sits across from me in the inn’s restaurant. “Can’t this wait until tomorrow?” I hand her a soda, and she opens it.
“About tomorrow…” I say, “I don’t think we should go through with the date.”
“Okay… why?” Alexa doesn’t look surprised. She doesn’t even look disappointed. She just grabs her soda, leans back, and drinks from it. “Just kidding. Don’t answer that. It’s Bon, isn’t it?” She narrows her eyes.
“Is it obvious?” I ask.
