aren’t spiraling, are you?”
It was Cara.
“No, I’m nesting,” I said. “I’m channeling my grief into productivity. I’m making this space my own, and it looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself.”
“Fabulous. Now channel your grief into a walk with me. It’s beautiful outside, I’ll meet you at Greenlake in fifteen.”
“Deal,” I said. I grabbed my running shoes and headed out the door. As I walked past Theo’s door I totally resisted the urge to knock.
Greenlake Park was equidistant between my apartment and Cara’s house. A large man-made lake with an amphitheater on one side and a community center on the other; the narrow path was often crowded with moms pushing baby strollers, packs of bikers, and running clubs. A 2.7 mile loop on the inside, and 3.1 mile on the outside trail it was the perfect distance for a run or a walk with a friend.
“Run or walk?” Cara asked, when she spotted me. She was stretching her calves on the curb.
“Walk, I’m tired,” I said, thinking of my sleepless night.
“Deal. How was your Monday?” Cara said, snaking her arm through mine as we started walking along the winding asphalt path that framed Greenlake.
“You mean how was day five of my life without Henry?”
“You know the amount of time isn’t totally relevant here. You are going to grieve and deal with this on your own timeline.”
“Is that the kind of thing you tell all your patients?” We shifted to the side at the sound of a bicyclist approaching from behind.
“You are not a patient; you are my friend.”
“Well, as your friend,” I said. “I appreciate the free counseling and I think it was a good day. I feel like I’m coming out of my funk.”
“Good.” Cara squeezed my arm before letting go. We picked up the pace, strolling arm in arm, weaving between couples and packs of moms and strollers. Greenlake became incredibly busy on warm summer nights. It felt good to be out in the world.
“So, today was day one of my Callie vacation,” I said. “No work. No obligations. Just time to focus on what I want and have the courage to ask for it.” A sly smile escaped me before I could pull it in. I couldn’t help it, just saying the words I want out loud conjured up Theo’s face and his touch.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Cara said, stopping. Her eyes widened at my smirk. “Oh my God you did something.” She swatted my arm. “It’s that guy. That one you told me about.”
“Maybe . . .”
We started walking again as a pack of cyclists zoomed past us.
“Spill it.”
“So . . . His name is Theo. And he came over last night . . .” And I told her about the five nights and what we’d done the night before.
Cara stopped walking, jaw hanging open. “Theo says he can cure you in five days and you came like three times?”
“Four,” I said. “I came four times. You really need to pay attention to the details.”
“So it’s like therapy, but not therapy. Sex.”
“Yep,” I said. “He will heal me with sex. So he says.”
We started walking again. Cara leaned in as she whispered. “And you are sure he isn’t some sort of pervert? You know this could be the way he lures women into his trap.”
“He does not seem like a psycho, Cara, and it’s not a trap it’s consensual sex,” I said. “And he seems thoughtful. He seems kind.” We rounded the path near the outdoor stadium bleachers.
Early evening light filtered through the trees reflecting on the water. I suddenly wished that Theo was walking beside me. I wondered if he had ever seen the lake in a light this beautiful. It occurred to me that I didn’t know whether or not he walked around Greenlake. I didn’t know a thing about how he liked to spend his free time. The only thing I did know was that he’d found a way to make me come multiple times without taking off all my clothes and he loved to please women.
“He seems kind.” Cara repeated, her skepticism clear. “You don’t know this guy
It was Cara.
“No, I’m nesting,” I said. “I’m channeling my grief into productivity. I’m making this space my own, and it looks pretty darn good if I do say so myself.”
“Fabulous. Now channel your grief into a walk with me. It’s beautiful outside, I’ll meet you at Greenlake in fifteen.”
“Deal,” I said. I grabbed my running shoes and headed out the door. As I walked past Theo’s door I totally resisted the urge to knock.
Greenlake Park was equidistant between my apartment and Cara’s house. A large man-made lake with an amphitheater on one side and a community center on the other; the narrow path was often crowded with moms pushing baby strollers, packs of bikers, and running clubs. A 2.7 mile loop on the inside, and 3.1 mile on the outside trail it was the perfect distance for a run or a walk with a friend.
“Run or walk?” Cara asked, when she spotted me. She was stretching her calves on the curb.
“Walk, I’m tired,” I said, thinking of my sleepless night.
“Deal. How was your Monday?” Cara said, snaking her arm through mine as we started walking along the winding asphalt path that framed Greenlake.
“You mean how was day five of my life without Henry?”
“You know the amount of time isn’t totally relevant here. You are going to grieve and deal with this on your own timeline.”
“Is that the kind of thing you tell all your patients?” We shifted to the side at the sound of a bicyclist approaching from behind.
“You are not a patient; you are my friend.”
“Well, as your friend,” I said. “I appreciate the free counseling and I think it was a good day. I feel like I’m coming out of my funk.”
“Good.” Cara squeezed my arm before letting go. We picked up the pace, strolling arm in arm, weaving between couples and packs of moms and strollers. Greenlake became incredibly busy on warm summer nights. It felt good to be out in the world.
“So, today was day one of my Callie vacation,” I said. “No work. No obligations. Just time to focus on what I want and have the courage to ask for it.” A sly smile escaped me before I could pull it in. I couldn’t help it, just saying the words I want out loud conjured up Theo’s face and his touch.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Cara said, stopping. Her eyes widened at my smirk. “Oh my God you did something.” She swatted my arm. “It’s that guy. That one you told me about.”
“Maybe . . .”
We started walking again as a pack of cyclists zoomed past us.
“Spill it.”
“So . . . His name is Theo. And he came over last night . . .” And I told her about the five nights and what we’d done the night before.
Cara stopped walking, jaw hanging open. “Theo says he can cure you in five days and you came like three times?”
“Four,” I said. “I came four times. You really need to pay attention to the details.”
“So it’s like therapy, but not therapy. Sex.”
“Yep,” I said. “He will heal me with sex. So he says.”
We started walking again. Cara leaned in as she whispered. “And you are sure he isn’t some sort of pervert? You know this could be the way he lures women into his trap.”
“He does not seem like a psycho, Cara, and it’s not a trap it’s consensual sex,” I said. “And he seems thoughtful. He seems kind.” We rounded the path near the outdoor stadium bleachers.
Early evening light filtered through the trees reflecting on the water. I suddenly wished that Theo was walking beside me. I wondered if he had ever seen the lake in a light this beautiful. It occurred to me that I didn’t know whether or not he walked around Greenlake. I didn’t know a thing about how he liked to spend his free time. The only thing I did know was that he’d found a way to make me come multiple times without taking off all my clothes and he loved to please women.
“He seems kind.” Cara repeated, her skepticism clear. “You don’t know this guy
Similar Books
