Just for the Summer(7)
Me: I would love to go for coffee, but I’m in Colorado. Then in three weeks I go to Hawaii for three months.
We pulled into our driveway right after that, and I got busy unloading the car and putting away the groceries. When we were done, Maddy went to take a shower and I plopped on my bed to check my phone. Justin had responded half an hour ago.
Justin: Where are you going after Hawaii?
I typed.
Me: Not sure yet. I live with my best friend Maddy and we alternate who chooses where we’ll go next. She picked Hawaii, and I haven’t decided where to go after that.
I figured he wouldn’t reply right away. He’d said he had to turn off his notifications because of all the messages he was getting, and after half an hour I was sure he wasn’t sitting there watching his inbox waiting for me to respond, but I got a message within thirty seconds.
Justin: May I suggest Minnesota?
Me: Lol why?
Justin: Fall in Minnesota is beautiful. We have Mayo Clinic and Royaume Northwestern. Two of the best hospitals in the world…
I smiled and started typing.
Me: Wow, you want to have coffee with me that bad huh?
Justin:
A small pause and then…
Justin: You know, in theory, if we date each other, when we break up we’d both find our soulmates after.
I narrowed my eyes.
Me: I thought you didn’t want to date anyone who only wanted to break up with you??
Justin: This is different. This is mutually beneficial. Seriously, what are your thoughts? Cause I gotta be honest, I could be down for this.
And then a second later:
Nothing inappropriate, a purely professional arrangement.
I sat up against my headboard, amused.
Me: Can I call you?
Justin: I mean, yeah. 651-314-4444
For a moment I debated calling from a blocked number. He was nice, but I still didn’t know him. But I figured it was just as easy to block him later if he got creepy. I dialed and he picked up on the first ring. “Emma.”
I don’t know why, but his deep voice gave me a little flutter in my stomach for some reason.
“I don’t believe in this whole magical good luck charm thing,” I said without preamble.
“Neither do I.”
“I’m not superstitious.”
I heard him suck air through his teeth. “I’m a little stitious.”
I let a laugh out through my nose. “It’s just a coincidence,” I said. “You realize that, right?”
“I agree.” He paused. “But…”
“But? But what?”
“But what if it isn’t? I’m just playing devil’s advocate here. What if it isn’t? Brad said that everyone I’m serious enough to date more than twice is cosmically destined for someone else.” He went quiet for a beat. “Does nobody feel right to you? Like, there’s just enough there to give it a little go, but then the bottom falls out? Is that just me? Or is it like that for you also?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, it’s like that for me too. But I just don’t think I’m meeting the right people.”
“Yeah, but maybe this is why,” he said. “It’s exhausting, starting over all the time, again and again. Like there’s no point. Like I’m trapped in some loop, partnered over and over with people I’m just supposed to redistribute down the line to someone else. I’m starting to wonder why I even bother. You know what Brad said that made me think? That when he saw Faith for the first time, it was like he got hit by a truck. It was that big.” He paused. “I haven’t had that moment. With anyone. I’m twenty-nine. I should have had that with someone by now, right?”
“I’m twenty-eight and I’ve never had a truck moment either,” I admitted.
“Do you want that?”
“Of course I want that. Who wouldn’t want to get hit by a love truck?”
“Look,” he said. “I know the idea’s a little out there. But if this is actually a thing, we’re in a pretty low-risk/high-reward situation. We’d just have to hang out a few times and then stop. That’s it. If what Brad said is true and we can’t find our person because everyone we’re interested in is meant for someone else, I would actually really like it if it stopped.”
I bobbed my head. “Okay, I’ll bite. So we what?”
I pictured a shrug. “I don’t know. We go on some dates, split up after. See if we can’t break the cycle. How many dates trigger the thing for you? It’s three for me.”
“It’s not dates for me. It’s length of time.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have to be seeing someone for at least a month for it to happen,” I said.
“Okay. And what does that look like? Do you have to see them every day?”
I shook my head. “No. It’s having contact every day. Texting or talking on the phone. And seeing each other at least once a week.”
He seemed to think about this.
“So me going out there wouldn’t work unless I stayed a month or I flew back and forth every week.”
“I think so.”
“That’s not really doable for me. Hawaii’s pretty far and I’ve got some family stuff going on. I can’t take off for that long.”