Imaginary Lines by Allison Parr

because of any one thing, Abraham Krasner, but because it’s what I chose.”
    He stared down at his spread hands. “I never finished college.”
    “What?”
    “I don’t have my degree. I don’t—I don’t think I could be anything.”
    I’d never realized Abe felt the lack of his degree, that he wanted anything more out of life than to be the best linebacker possible. How odd, that I could know him for so long and never realize he wanted more.
    “Abraham Krasner. The whole world is yours if you want it. The world and the moon.”
    He looked up at me. We were so close I could feel his breath and see his individual lashes. He stroked my cheek. “Tammy...”
    I held my breath. I suddenly felt very warm and heady, and drawn forward by an invisible string that hadn’t been cut, after all.
    One of the girls let out a shriek. “Guys! Guys, my landlord called. We have to go.”
    Abe’s hand dropped from my face. Everyone started scrambling to their feet, including people not from Alli’s apartment. They shouted over at her. “Is your landlord our landlord?” They badgered us to find out if we were all in trouble, and then a mass exodus began as the three different apartments all herded their guests to the fire escape.
    I balked when my turn came.
    “Don’t worry,” Abe said in my ear. “You climbed up. You can get back down.”
    I frowned at him. He correctly interpreted it as, but the staircase might break and then where will we be? “Do you want me to go first? I can catch you if you fall.”
    I scoffed. “You’d be falling to your death, too.”
    His hand wrapped around mine. “I would catch you,” he vowed. “I will always catch you.”
    My stomach flipped over. It wasn’t fair for him to say that, for him to work his magic on me. That combination of voice and smell and touch rendered me useless, rendered me his, just as it always had. I wanted that kiss that had never happened. It hovered in the air between us.
    But I was done chasing silly dreams, so I stepped back. “Okay, then. You go first.”
    And I didn’t fall, so I didn’t find out if he would catch me or not.
    Downstairs, Sabeen found us quick enough. “Hey, I think I’m going to head out with Evan. That cool? You’re okay to get home?”
    I waved away her concern even as I tried to get a peek at Evan. He seemed tall. And fuzzy. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    She squinted at Abe, without the excuse of having bad eyesight. She must have missed the to-do about him earlier. Off with Evan, no doubt. “You look familiar.”
    He waved a hand. “I have one of those faces.”
    She accepted that and turned back to me. “Okay, you sure? You’re good?”
    “Positive. Have fun.”
    They disappeared before I realized it, and Abe took my hand and led me out of the apartment and over to the street. “Let’s find you a taxi.”
    “What if I don’t want to go home?”
    He looked at me so quickly I could’ve sworn he’d misinterpreted that. His eyes darkened. “What?”
    “Um...” My voice came out as a stammer. “I just meant I’m having fun. I want to keep having fun.”
    His mouth cracked in a grin, and he shook his head. “You should have fun with a bottle of water. I hope you don’t need to work tomorrow.”
    I bobbed my head in fervent agreement. “Me too.” I consulted my brain, and found out that I didn’t. However—”Wait! It’s a Saturday tomorrow! Today. Do you? You have to do meetings and stuff. Why are you here?”
    He tucked a loose curl behind my ear. “Because I didn’t want you to fall off a roof.”
    I frowned and tried to step back, but misjudged the curb and stumbled. He caught my waist with both hands and mine automatically went to his biceps for balance. I stared at him, breathing hard. Could I do this, as a friend? Nope. Line. There was a line, and it was in the air between us, and there was no air between my fingers and his skin. I reluctantly removed my hands and locked them behind my back, trying to remember