green-eyed giant? Who, I’m guessing, if he’s like Damon, is super nice?”
I was really happy she kept doing that, because it made my job easier. “I guess so,” I said, laughing nervously.
“And you’re treating it like I’m the one doing the favor?” She giggled softly. “I haven’t been out on a date since... Anyway, yeah, of course. Suddenly, I’m even happier than usual that I took that extra year, before going off to college.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, embarrassed that I managed to neglect to ask Cat anything about herself. “I totally forgot about that. Work going okay?”
“Work,” she said, with an amused grunt. “Yeah, sure. It’s work. It isn’t much. I’m just doing some contracting stuff for an accounting firm out of Boston. I’m just doing their paper filing and stuff – nothing exciting. I mean, my dad’s proud, or whatever, but, yeah, that’s my life.”
“What about you?” she asked. “Still doing the writing thing?”
I hadn’t thought about writing in almost a month, since the last time I turned in a story to Jolie Evers, at the New York Times .
“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, haven’t run anything for a few weeks, but I’ve got some ideas.”
As she was saying, “That’s good,” my mind drifted.
“Actually,” I said. “You asking just gave a really good idea. At least I think it is.”
I had promised Jolie one more book about what she called “desert magic.” What better way to end a trilogy than with an ending, right? Somehow, I knew the ending to the story – to our story – was going to be a happy one. What I didn’t want to think about was what it was going to take to get there.
“What’s his name?” Cat asked, breaking my brief daydream.
“Huh?”
“The guy? The one you set me up with.” She giggled again. “You really are lost in thought, huh? I heard about you writer-types do that, sometimes. Just kinda get lost in your own heads.”
“Ha, yeah, I guess so. Sometimes, ideas just kinda pop in there, and you can’t get them out. You have to write them or they fester. You gotta get them down before they vanish. Makes you kinda paranoid sometimes.”
As I was babbling, I pulled a notepad out of the desk, that I had recently excavated from a sea of videogames and action figures, and scrawled ‘end the story’ on it, then underlined it a couple times.
“Hunter,” I said, forcing myself to stop thinking about either Damon, or work. “Hunter King.”
“King? Like... Damon King?”
Caitlyn started laughing, again. Her loud, honest laughter warmed me. I’d never heard her like this before. The flutter in my chest told me that I needed this more than I’d known.
“Are you sure they’re not brothers?”
“Pretty sure,” I said, catching her infectious laugh. “Although, sometimes, when they’re together, it’s pretty hard to tell them apart.”
“Well, when are we gonna meet up?” she asked. “Tonight? And, what are we gonna do? Wanna do a double date thing?”
“Yeah, double date. I don’t know when, though,” my voice caught in my throat. “Damon’s not really around right now,” I said, sparing her the details. “So I’m just gonna be third wheel unless you want to wait until Damon comes back.”
“Oh, okay, cool,” Cat said. “No worries! I am really eager to meet this big hunk of man. I should be thanking you, but I forgot. So thanks! I’ve needed to meet someone for a while, just to forget if nothing else.”
Cat paused for a second, and I heard her turn away from the phone and cough. “Sorry,” she said. “This weather’s got my allergies going. Anyway, If you won’t feel awkward, then I won’t either, okay?”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Yeah, yeah of course. I’ll tell you what – he’s supposed to get in today, sometime, so I’ll have him give you a call?”
“Perfect!” she said. “Talk to you then. Or him, I guess.”
We said our goodbyes, and when I put the phone down and
I was really happy she kept doing that, because it made my job easier. “I guess so,” I said, laughing nervously.
“And you’re treating it like I’m the one doing the favor?” She giggled softly. “I haven’t been out on a date since... Anyway, yeah, of course. Suddenly, I’m even happier than usual that I took that extra year, before going off to college.”
“Oh, yeah,” I said, embarrassed that I managed to neglect to ask Cat anything about herself. “I totally forgot about that. Work going okay?”
“Work,” she said, with an amused grunt. “Yeah, sure. It’s work. It isn’t much. I’m just doing some contracting stuff for an accounting firm out of Boston. I’m just doing their paper filing and stuff – nothing exciting. I mean, my dad’s proud, or whatever, but, yeah, that’s my life.”
“What about you?” she asked. “Still doing the writing thing?”
I hadn’t thought about writing in almost a month, since the last time I turned in a story to Jolie Evers, at the New York Times .
“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, haven’t run anything for a few weeks, but I’ve got some ideas.”
As she was saying, “That’s good,” my mind drifted.
“Actually,” I said. “You asking just gave a really good idea. At least I think it is.”
I had promised Jolie one more book about what she called “desert magic.” What better way to end a trilogy than with an ending, right? Somehow, I knew the ending to the story – to our story – was going to be a happy one. What I didn’t want to think about was what it was going to take to get there.
“What’s his name?” Cat asked, breaking my brief daydream.
“Huh?”
“The guy? The one you set me up with.” She giggled again. “You really are lost in thought, huh? I heard about you writer-types do that, sometimes. Just kinda get lost in your own heads.”
“Ha, yeah, I guess so. Sometimes, ideas just kinda pop in there, and you can’t get them out. You have to write them or they fester. You gotta get them down before they vanish. Makes you kinda paranoid sometimes.”
As I was babbling, I pulled a notepad out of the desk, that I had recently excavated from a sea of videogames and action figures, and scrawled ‘end the story’ on it, then underlined it a couple times.
“Hunter,” I said, forcing myself to stop thinking about either Damon, or work. “Hunter King.”
“King? Like... Damon King?”
Caitlyn started laughing, again. Her loud, honest laughter warmed me. I’d never heard her like this before. The flutter in my chest told me that I needed this more than I’d known.
“Are you sure they’re not brothers?”
“Pretty sure,” I said, catching her infectious laugh. “Although, sometimes, when they’re together, it’s pretty hard to tell them apart.”
“Well, when are we gonna meet up?” she asked. “Tonight? And, what are we gonna do? Wanna do a double date thing?”
“Yeah, double date. I don’t know when, though,” my voice caught in my throat. “Damon’s not really around right now,” I said, sparing her the details. “So I’m just gonna be third wheel unless you want to wait until Damon comes back.”
“Oh, okay, cool,” Cat said. “No worries! I am really eager to meet this big hunk of man. I should be thanking you, but I forgot. So thanks! I’ve needed to meet someone for a while, just to forget if nothing else.”
Cat paused for a second, and I heard her turn away from the phone and cough. “Sorry,” she said. “This weather’s got my allergies going. Anyway, If you won’t feel awkward, then I won’t either, okay?”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Yeah, yeah of course. I’ll tell you what – he’s supposed to get in today, sometime, so I’ll have him give you a call?”
“Perfect!” she said. “Talk to you then. Or him, I guess.”
We said our goodbyes, and when I put the phone down and
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