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“And you know that you’ve been grumpy,” Jon says, but his tone is light. Jon has never judged me for my grumpy moods or snappy moments, not even as a teen.
“He’s been less grumpy lately,” Mike points out.
“You’re right, actually,” Jon agrees, looking me up and down.
“It’s the girl he’s been seeing,” my friend says conspiratorially, and I groan.
“Is that so?” Jon looks amused.
“I haven’t been seeing anyone, and I’m rarely grumpy,” I argue, shooting Mike a nasty glance.
They both laugh at my expression, and I sigh, setting my beer to the side to rub my temples. I barely slept last night, and I can feel a headache coming.
“He’s never had a problem with the women,” Jon says. “I remember when he worked here as a teen, and this one girl would come sit in the corner and watch him. She tried to talk to him a few times. He didn’t say much to her, but she kept coming back.”
Mike hollers. “She probably thought he was mysterious. Meanwhile, he was just an ass.”
“Did you come here to insult me?” I ask, but I can’t stop the tiny smile I feel forming my face.
“Actually, I came to sit in the corner silently and keep you company,” he says earnestly, “although now I feel like a lonely girl vying for your attention.”
“I’ll make sure to not break your heart.”
“You two are stupid, and I’m going back to work,” Jon says. “Thanks for the beer.”
“Anytime,” Mike replies, setting the six pack on the ground and flopping himself down next to me.
We say nothing for a while, and I go back to working on the motorcycle. Mike sits next to me and watches, saying nothing. He has a quiet and peaceful presence about him, and I don’t feel the need to make conversation. He’s the type of person you can sit in silence with, not feeling any obligation to talk. While I was a moody and unpredictable child, he was always the friendly and helpful one.
“I’m scared I will lose my shit around my dad,” I say after a while. “It’s been so long, but anytime I imagine this evening, all I see is red. But I know I have to be calm if I want a chance to help Robin.”
“Your dad cares about appearances, so I doubt he’ll get into a fight with you there.”
“Honestly? Literally any conversation with him will make my blood boil. We could talk about the weather and I’d want to hit him. I know everything that comes out of his mouth will be condescending.”
“You know you can still cancel. Robin would understand.”
I take the last sip of my beer and nod. “I have to face him eventually. I can’t run from him all my life. At least this way it could benefit Robin.”
“Is there really nothing going on between the two of you? I know I was teasing you earlier, but you’re my best friend, and I want you to be happy.”
“I’m leaving after the funeral,” I say, sighing deeply. “And yeah, man. I like her. We’ve been hanging out a lot this week. She’s funny and smart and cute and caring, and I don’t know … I don’t feel angry at the world when she’s around. When we talk, it just feels easy. Like I’ve known her my whole life.” I rake my hand through my hair, looking at Mike, defeated. “She’s also so fucking beautiful it’s unreal,” I huff out.
Mike laughs and nudges me with his elbow. “You almost sound angry about that.”
“Yeah, well, it’s annoying,” I say, throwing my hands in the air. “Makes it hard to think when I’m around her.”
Mike shakes his head at me. “I told you she was your type.”
“Whatever,” I mumble, taking another beer from his six pack.
“Not too many, princess, or you will be drunk tonight,” Mike teases, ignoring the shake of my head. “And,” he continues, his tone serious again, “if you really like Robin, things don’t have to end when you leave after the funeral. Plenty of people date without living in the same town.”
“Yeah, but they eventually move to the same place. She loves it here, man. I wouldn’t ask her to leave, but I also can never move back here.”
“You never know.” He shrugs. “One of you could change your mind.”
“Maybe,” I say, but I don’t believe it. “Anyway, I don’t even know if she’s interested.”
