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“You don’t strike me as someone who enjoys small talk.”

“I don’t. Well, to be honest …” She pauses and then sighs. Just when I think she’s not going to answer, she pushes away from where we’re leaning against her car and hoists herself up to sit on the hood. “To be honest, I don’t know what my hopes and dreams are.” She stares up at the night sky.

I debate for a second whether I should join her on the hood or if that would make her uncomfortable. I decide to go for it, because fuck it. I gently sit on the hood and make sure there’s at least a foot between us. But she doesn’t even react to my presence.

“It’s okay not to know. You’re young, and you have time to figure it out.”

“I’m not that young,” she corrects. “I’m twenty-eight.”

“Trust me, that’s young.”

“I guess.” She doesn’t sound convinced.

“I’m not sure either. I haven’t even thought about my hopes and dreams since I was a kid. I was so eager to leave and got caught up in a career that basically got handed to me. And I don’t know … I committed to that and never took the time again to think about what I really want.”

I’m not sure why I’m telling her any of this. Maybe it’s because it’s a thought that has been whirling around in the background of my mind for a long time, and it’s easier to open up to a stranger I probably won’t ever see again.

“At least you committed to something. I can’t make a decision to save my life, so I end up just … floating. I feel like I’m half-assing everything. My heart hasn’t truly been in anything for a very long time. I thought coming here was the beginning of me finally choosing my life, but other than moving here, I haven’t really chosen anything.”

“Maybe the right options just haven’t been presented to you.”

She looks over at me. “What do you mean?”

“I mean maybe you haven’t chosen anything yet because all the options you’ve been presented with so far just aren’t right for you. Once the right thing comes along, you’ll know.”

“It’s hard when everyone else seems to know exactly what they want.”

For a while, neither one of us says anything, and we simply enjoy sitting outside.

“I think most people don’t know what they want. They find comfort with what’s right in front of them. They just choose what’s easy.” I shrug.

“Is that what you did?”

“Yes and no.” I don’t elaborate, but she doesn’t pry.

Robin pulls her knees to her chest before glancing at me and giving me a cheeky smile. “Why do I get the feeling you listened to emo music when you were a teen?”

I laugh. “Excuse me? What an interesting observation.”

“Am I wrong?” She lifts a brow.

“Nope. Very interesting deduction skills. Maybe you should join my detective firm.”

“I finally found my calling,” she says, smiling.

“Did you listen to emo music?”

“Maybe.” She looks away.

“You totally did.” I laugh. “I knew you had excellent taste. Where did you grow up?”

“All over the place. We moved a lot.”

I can tell from her expression that she’s not too eager to talk about it, so I just nod.

“God, this day sucked.” She exhales deeply.

“I’ll try not to be offended.”