Page 108 of All That History
“And I get to be the new thing.”
I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me.“One of them, anyway.An important one.”
“That makes me really happy to hear,” Flynn said, sounding sincere.“Thank you, pretty dick.”
“Asshole,” I said, choking down a laugh, and stabbed at the screen to end the call.
#
My parents were lookingat me strangely, and it was starting to freak me out.
Usually we coexisted like, well, roommates.I could see how, by a lot of people’s standards, the idea of heading into my late-twenties and still living at home might be weird.A red flag, even.Only it’d never felt that way: they knew I had a life of my own, and I got the reassurance of being able to check in on them without it seeming forced.
Something had changed that dynamic, though, and it was impossible not to conclude it was the conversation they’d had with Flynn and me the previous night.
It started with shared glances, the two of them side-eyeing each other like gossipy high-schoolers.Escalating to whispers and stares that were quickly aborted just as soon as I caught them.Until - feeling like there’d been some strange role-reversal, and me forced to be the adult in the room - I stopped, with my hands on my hips, and demanded an explanation.
“What’s going on?”
My mom giggled.Actually giggled.
I fixed her with a glare, then shifted it to my dad.His expression looked positively giddy, though it was clear from his quivering cheeks that he was trying to hide quite how entertained he felt.“Well?”
He shrugged, still smiling.“You were whistling.”
I frowned.“What?”
He cast a glance at my mom, who promptly giggled again, before looking back to me.“You were walking around, grinning and whistling.And your mom and I thought it was cute.”
“Cute.”
Mom nudged me in the shoulder.“Oh, come on, don’t be a sourpuss.We’re happy for you, is all.Lord knows it’s been long enough since we saw you this relaxed.”
Suddenly it felt like I was the one on the spot, and I was beginning to regret bringing any of this up.“I’ve been relaxed,” I protested.
“Not like you seem now,” my dad said.“There’s been a wall there for so long.You’ve been loving, and involved, and considerate, but always with a...”
“Reserve,” mom supplied.“A sense of reserve.And I don’t think we really noticed quite how much that distance had changed things, until we saw you today.”
“It feels like we got our son back,” my dad concluded.“Our Oliver.”
I chewed the edge of my tongue, until I could be sure of speaking without my voice quavering.“Got me back, just in time for me to leave.”
My mom snorted, waving her hand dismissively.“You’ll be a few hours away, so what.A few hours away, but happy.”She leaned on the word, eyes widening in punctuation.“That’s what’s important.”
My dad patted my arm.“So, when are you seeing Flynn, then?”
“Uh, tonight.We’re meeting up with Catherine and Kyle.”
He chuckled.“Tell him to give as good as he gets.Those two can be vicious.”
“Practically feral,” I said, distantly.Remembering what I’d warned my boyfriend about earlier, on the phone.
Dad smiled again.“They’ll be happy for you, just like we are.”
I nodded, because nodding was all I could do.My voice just wasn’t trustworthy any more.
