flower.”
“Okay,” Sadie said. “A manly flower. I’m down with that. I’ll get him an apology azalea. And then maybe we can try to talk again. Like adults instead of sniping children.”
Kate winced. “Was it that bad?”
“I don’t know. But some of it was my fault. We just...rub each other the wrong way.” And she had a feeling that a lot of her annoyance boiled down to the strange tightening in her stomach whenever he was around.
Of course, putting it like that made it seem like she didn’t know what that was, when she knew full well what it was. It was just...unusual in this context.
Usually she felt that level of excitement, that sort of low, giddy tug, when she was about to have sex. A brief little flash of anticipation. If she remembered right. It
had
been an awfully long time.
She was not used to it in regards to a man she wasn’t interested in. Was not used to it being connected to a man she didn’t like, much less a man she wasn’t in a relationship with.
She was something of a serial monogamist. She’d meet a guy, they’d go on a few dates and they’d have fun while it lasted. And when things got...un-fun, they’d stop. There was no second-guessing, or yelling at each other. There were no question marks. She liked it straightforward and simple.
Her most recent ex, Marcus, was a classic example of that. They’d met at her gym. He was hot. He was fun. They’d gone on some dates, and then slipped easily into a physical relationship. And then, he’d gone and screwed it up by asking for a drawer. The man had never spent the night, and he wanted a
drawer in her dresser
.
It had been, to Sadie at least, a clear sign that they wanted two different things. And while her instinct had been to placate him or string him along, she knew that it wouldn’t benefit either of them. And a lovely time in their lives would only be remembered for the discord in the end. She said a big no-thank-you to that.
It was always better to let someone go too soon than to hold on too long.
She liked it clear. And she liked it
simple
.
There was nothing simple about the way Eli made her feel. And there was nowhere for it to go. So, it could just stop.
But then, even when she’d been a teenage miscreant, loath to deal with his presence, she’d found him hot. So, if she knew anything about herself, it was that her body was die-hard stupid for Eli.
“Well, Eli really is a decent guy,” Kate said, adding a plant with fuchsia flowers to the cart. “So I’m sure once you get on the same page he’ll be reasonable.”
“You think?”
“I don’t know. But I’m just his sister. So often he’s not reasonable with me, but I tend to think that’s genetics at work.”
“Right. Well, I’m an only child, so I’m not really up on the dynamic.”
“That must have been lonely,” Kate said.
For some reason, her words hit a sore spot. “Uh...” Sadie cleared her throat. “I had a lot of friends.” Friends she hadn’t spoken to in a decade. Were they here? Were they gone? She had no idea.
She didn’t hold on. It wasn’t healthy. And she was a bastion of positive mental health and good feelings. And stuff.
“Well, that’s nice. I have...minimal friends, actually,” Kate said. “But you know, the ones I have are good. People who love horses as much as I do.”
“Hey, that’s important. And it’s better than lots of crappy friends anyway.” Her friends hadn’t really been crappy. Sure, they’d been terrible influences on each other, but they’d all had sucky lives. Smoking in the woods, drinking beer and making out were the best they could do since their homes were in such a sorry state.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s true,” Kate said, putting a few leafy greens onto the cart. “Do you want some basil or mint or anything?”
“Oh, yeah!” she said. “Any. All. Can I put those in the windowsill in the kitchen?”
“Yep. I’ll grab herbs on our way back inside and you can wait for me at
“Okay,” Sadie said. “A manly flower. I’m down with that. I’ll get him an apology azalea. And then maybe we can try to talk again. Like adults instead of sniping children.”
Kate winced. “Was it that bad?”
“I don’t know. But some of it was my fault. We just...rub each other the wrong way.” And she had a feeling that a lot of her annoyance boiled down to the strange tightening in her stomach whenever he was around.
Of course, putting it like that made it seem like she didn’t know what that was, when she knew full well what it was. It was just...unusual in this context.
Usually she felt that level of excitement, that sort of low, giddy tug, when she was about to have sex. A brief little flash of anticipation. If she remembered right. It
had
been an awfully long time.
She was not used to it in regards to a man she wasn’t interested in. Was not used to it being connected to a man she didn’t like, much less a man she wasn’t in a relationship with.
She was something of a serial monogamist. She’d meet a guy, they’d go on a few dates and they’d have fun while it lasted. And when things got...un-fun, they’d stop. There was no second-guessing, or yelling at each other. There were no question marks. She liked it straightforward and simple.
Her most recent ex, Marcus, was a classic example of that. They’d met at her gym. He was hot. He was fun. They’d gone on some dates, and then slipped easily into a physical relationship. And then, he’d gone and screwed it up by asking for a drawer. The man had never spent the night, and he wanted a
drawer in her dresser
.
It had been, to Sadie at least, a clear sign that they wanted two different things. And while her instinct had been to placate him or string him along, she knew that it wouldn’t benefit either of them. And a lovely time in their lives would only be remembered for the discord in the end. She said a big no-thank-you to that.
It was always better to let someone go too soon than to hold on too long.
She liked it clear. And she liked it
simple
.
There was nothing simple about the way Eli made her feel. And there was nowhere for it to go. So, it could just stop.
But then, even when she’d been a teenage miscreant, loath to deal with his presence, she’d found him hot. So, if she knew anything about herself, it was that her body was die-hard stupid for Eli.
“Well, Eli really is a decent guy,” Kate said, adding a plant with fuchsia flowers to the cart. “So I’m sure once you get on the same page he’ll be reasonable.”
“You think?”
“I don’t know. But I’m just his sister. So often he’s not reasonable with me, but I tend to think that’s genetics at work.”
“Right. Well, I’m an only child, so I’m not really up on the dynamic.”
“That must have been lonely,” Kate said.
For some reason, her words hit a sore spot. “Uh...” Sadie cleared her throat. “I had a lot of friends.” Friends she hadn’t spoken to in a decade. Were they here? Were they gone? She had no idea.
She didn’t hold on. It wasn’t healthy. And she was a bastion of positive mental health and good feelings. And stuff.
“Well, that’s nice. I have...minimal friends, actually,” Kate said. “But you know, the ones I have are good. People who love horses as much as I do.”
“Hey, that’s important. And it’s better than lots of crappy friends anyway.” Her friends hadn’t really been crappy. Sure, they’d been terrible influences on each other, but they’d all had sucky lives. Smoking in the woods, drinking beer and making out were the best they could do since their homes were in such a sorry state.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s true,” Kate said, putting a few leafy greens onto the cart. “Do you want some basil or mint or anything?”
“Oh, yeah!” she said. “Any. All. Can I put those in the windowsill in the kitchen?”
“Yep. I’ll grab herbs on our way back inside and you can wait for me at
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