Page 63 of Kiss Me Now
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Then let’s also have a geography lesson. About boundaries. And how I have them, and I’m not crossing them again. And my boundary with you is friendship. That side of the line is fine. Past it is not.”
“So you’re saying straight out you want me to stay in the friend zone?”
“Yes.”My brain does, anyway. The rest of me is not so sure about that.
“Okay. I accept.” He didn’t even hesitate. “And trust me, I’m not the kind of guy who’s going to try to talk you into anything different, but can I ask why? Just so I can understand.”
“Because I’m not a casual dater,” I said. “And we are way too different to ever work long-term, so I’d rather avoid a mess.”
“A mess,” he repeated. “You think I’m a mess?”
“No, I think dating you would be a mess.”
“Why do you assume I want a long-term thing anyway?”
I stared down at my plate and pressed a crumb of bread to pick it up and nibble it off my finger. It wasn’t that I wanted the crumb as much as I didnotwant to meet Ian’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to assume. But I don’t have time to date at all right now, and if I did, I’m thinking long-term, so we’re still not on the same page.”
“It’s a good thing you’re not an English teacher, or you’d have to mark yourself down for all these clichés,” he said, but his tone was teasing. “Friend zone, boundaries, same page.”
“Happy to drop the subject. Just wanted to be clear.”
“Okay. Except why do you think we’d be a mess?” He didn’t sound annoyed, just curious, so I answered him.
“We want totally different things. You like your fast-paced life, the big city vibe, the whole environment. And I don’t. I’ve had it, and I don’t want it ever again. So what’s the point of dating now when I’m sure we’d break up later?”
“Maybe you’re a math teacher at heart, because that’s a very calculating way to see it.”
“If you make one more teaching pun, I’m going to find a hori hori.”
He grinned. “Fine. I accept. On the condition that we are actually friends. Do I have to try and avoid you when I come to visit Gran from now on or do you mean it?”
“I mean it!” I gave it an overly enthusiastic emphasis that made him flinch. “I do. I’m all for being friends.”I mean it, I told my heart again as it drooped at my words.Behave.
“Terms accepted. Your boundary is intact.” He put his hands up. “See? Not coming anywhere near you.”
“Thanks for understanding.”
“Sure. Being friends with you isn’t a consolation prize. I like you as a person, and eventually I’ll get over the urge to kiss you stupid.”
I’d just taken a sip of my Coke when he laid that on me. He smiled at me blandly while I choked.
“You okay there?”
“Fine,” I wheezed and coughed again to clear my throat. “Why do I feel like you’re not taking this new friendship very seriously?”
“I was teasing. I promise I mean it. You’re worth knowing. I’d like to be able to talk or eat ham sandwiches or hunt mushrooms with you any time I drop in to see Gran for a weekend.”
I nodded, not trusting myself not to say the exact wrong thing again. We finished our sandwiches in silence, and though it felt awkward at first, it became comfortable by the time I swallowed the last delicious bite.
“So as your friend, I’m curious what the prospects are like in Creekville,” he said when his sandwich was gone. “Is there a happening dating scene around here?”
I thought about Noah for a second. “Not really? I don’t know. I haven’t been looking for one, but I sort of get the impression that Miss Lily would be lining me up with church boys if she didn’t have you to marry off, and I think the secretary at school is looking for an opening to set me up with a nephew she keeps bringing up.”
“Sounds grim,” he said.
“More grim than dating apps and pub crawls?”
“Good point.”
