Now That You Are Here

He Called Me Reign

"You don't have that with Jenny?"

"Not really. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with a girl that doesn't have the same interests as me."

"What are you interested in?"

"Cars. Business. I don't know."

"That's it? What about art, or music, or cooking? Personally, I love cooking and baking, though I'm pretty bad at it."

"I used to take a cooking class when I was in high school."

"We should do one together. They would be incredibly fun. What else?"

"Why?"

"Well, if you like cars, come hang with Danny and I at the shop. I bet Danny would love for you to help him out."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Brixton. I could put in a good word for you, but it doesn't seem like you need it. What else do you like to do?"

"I love to dance and read."

"Dancing, cooking, and cars. You could get any girl you want. You could fix her car, while cooking her dinner, and teaching her how to salsa. The perfect lady killer. I love reading too. Have you read Woman in the Window?"

"Yes, it was incredible."

"It was amazing. The plot twist. All of it...crazy."

"Yes. I was trying to talk to my sister about it, but she thought I was crazy."

"You're not because that book was amazing."

Brixton and I grin at each other as we get to know each other better.

"You know, you're different than I thought you were going to be."

"What do you think I was going to be like."

"A total asshole. I didn't want to have to deal with you. And when you called me, I freaked. Now that I know you better, I don't know what I was scared about."

"You don't mind me calling you anymore?"

"No."

"We didn't have the best start, but it's going to be a good ending."

"You think?"

"Definitely."

I lean my head against the trunk of the tree, soaking in the warmth from the air. Gosh, I love this weather. Brixton's phone starts to ring, making the serene atmosphere of sitting in a tree disappear. Maybe I should do this more often. Maybe I should find spaces like this outside all the time. The hot breeze sends good shivers down my spine as it seems to wrap around me. Brixton talks quietly as if he's trying to calm someone down. When he hangs up, he takes a deep breath, calming his own self.

"Who was it?"

"Jenny. She's driving me crazy. In a bad way."

"If you don't like her, as a person in general, you probably shouldn't be dating."

"We've been dating for so long, and I don't want to hurt her."

"You'll probably hurt her the more you try to distance yourself and string her along."

Brixton nods at me, but he doesn't say anything else. I take that as my que to shut up. I start climbing back down the street, slipping a few clumsy times before hitting the safety of the ground. I brush the dirt and bark off my pants, picking leaves out of my lace shirt. This is not the outfit I should be wearing to climb a tree. I start walking back to the car, but Brixton halts me.