Page 70 of Then Came the Fall
Despite the cabin being within close walking distance from the cliff, we got in the truck and Matt re-parked in front of my cabin, behind my car. He grabbed the stuff from the back of the truck and carried it inside for me.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he noticed.
“Thanks. I still have a long way to go, but it’ll do for today. Have a seat,” I offered.
He cracked open another beer and sank into the old, musty couch. After unpacking the groceries into the little kitchen, I grabbed a second Mike’s and sat down next to him. “Okay. Your turn. What brought you back?”
He groaned. “You sure you don’t want to just make out instead?”
I laughed. “I’ll consider it.” I hoped my grin was masking the butterflies he kept stirring up in my belly. “First, you’ve got to talk.” I felt the alcohol loosen my limbs.
“All right. Well, it’s nothing like your situation. If we’re rewinding all the way to that last summer, then I’ll start there. I’m not going to lie.” He inhaled deeply. “I was a mess over you for a long time. Couldn’t really date anyone seriously. I missed you.” He took a gulp, looking away. “A lot.”
“I missed you, too, if that means anything.”
He shook the words away, like ripping off an itchy wool sweater. “Anyway, I did my thing at school, whatever. Once I graduated, I moved back home. I majored in engineering so I could work at my dad’s firm. I didn’t really love that, but who the hell knows what they want to do with the rest of their lives at 22? Right?”
I nodded in agreement.
“I took the job; I was doing entry-level stuff. Systems testing. Generating reports. Nothing particularly interesting. Living at home. Just so embedded in the same, mundane life I always had. My mom cookeddinner every night. I saw my dad 24/7. And don’t get me wrong—I love them, but it was a just alot.I started going out with this one girl, Megan, and things were all right but on more than one occasion my mom compared her to you, which was super awkward and, frankly, hard for me. So that fizzled out not long after. One year became two, and I don’t know. I just felt like the walls were closing in. I didn’t want to grow up and become my dad.”
“Your dad’s a good guy, though,” I said.
“He is, you’re right. He’s great. I just needed to live my own life. One night, I was out at a bar with some friends, and I ran into AJ Chipouras. You remember him?”
“Corn Chip?”
“Yeah,” Matt smiled. “He was the one who told me about this job. Said he ran into Larry at the outlets or something and found out he was leaving. So I looked it up online, and sure enough, it was true.”
“How is AJ?”
“Good. Married, if you can believe it. He went into the military, so he was away for a while. Stationed in Germany, he said.”
“Wow. He’s pretty young to be married already.”
“Apparently it’s common in the military. But I met his wife, and she seemed really nice. It was cool to see him.”
“Aw, that’s good to hear. He was always a good guy.”
“Definitely. So, anyway. I applied for the job. My mom was really upset. Not so much that I was moving out, but I think I hurt my dad’s feelings. Like, badly. He couldn’t understand how I had gotten a degree from a great school in a tough field and now I wanted to come paint cabins and clean toilets for a living. There was no good explanation. I just needed to, I don’t know. Leave the nest?”
“I hear that,” I replied.
“Once I got out here, after a day or two, I thought I made the wrong choice. Not for nothing, it’s a lot quieter here in the off-season than I realized it would be. I mean, it’s great to have my own place and a job where I’m actually paid by someone other than my own father, but I didn’t think I would be so…” He gulped. “Lonely.”
Well, you don’t have to be lonely anymore.I looked at him but didn’t say anything.
“A few times I even went back, closer to home, just to go out. Meet people. Pathetic, right? I know.”
“No.” I shook my head. “Not pathetic. It’s understandable.”
“So that’s it. I took up smoking. I don’t know why. One girl I hooked up with smoked, and I remember trying it and feeling relaxed. And as for the job? I mean, I like it. I’m good at it. It definitely got a lot more interesting once I found out you were coming.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “I didn’t know how we’d be, though, after all this time.”
“Yeah. I’m not going to lie. This was a pretty incredible surprise. I’m glad I didn’t know in advance—otherwise I probably wouldn’t have applied.” I felt a little slippery, my words deciding on their own when to leave my mouth.
He smiled and looked down at the couch. “I hope you’re happy to be here.”
I nodded. “I am.” My eyes washed over him, willing him to come closer.
