Page 138 of The Friend Scheme
“I was thinking we could go to the beach? As long as we get to the airport by five, we’ll be fine.”
“Cool.”
That’s where I’ll do it.
The beach.
He walks over to me and falls down onto the bed. He kisses me. He tastes like toothpaste.
I pull back.
“What?” he asks.
“I think I’ve decided.”
He props himself up. “Decided what?”
“I think I want to tell you about my family. You’re right, this will never be real until I tell you everything.”
“You sure? You don’t have to, if you don’t want to.”
“I’m sure.”
His smile is dazzling. “Cool.”
“Don’t think you’re getting off the hook, though. You’ll have to tell me stuff, too.”
“Of course.”
“So should I just, like, tell you now?”
He chews his lip. “Why don’t you wait awhile? This is clearly a big deal for you, and the last thing I want is for you to regret it. So why don’t you think about it for a few hours, and then, if you’re still sure, you can tell me.”
“Okay,” I say. “Sounds like a plan.”
I’m sure.
I totally respect that Jason wants to give me some time, to be completely and utterly sure about this.
I don’t need it, though.
I’m sure.
I’m going to tell him about my family. I’ve been thinking about it the whole journey to the beach, and even though I’ve analyzed the crap out of it, I’m still totally confident this is the right move. Telling him everything there is to know about me will make this even better than it already is.
He asked me to really think this through, so I’m going to. I’m going to try to have a good time and not obsess over it. But I think this is one of those things I won’t be able to stop thinking about until I’ve gotten it off my chest.
We both step out of the Uber.
The beach stretches out in front of us. It’s crowded. Up ahead, there’s a pink ice cream truck by a path to the beach. It looks a little hipster-y.
“Want one?” he asks.
“Yeah, for sure. Do you?”
He nods, so we join the line.
I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good.
