subtle than hers. Arial was on edge, and he wanted to know why.
Quietly, he tied the laces on his shoes, not wanting to disrupt the romantic moments the Henderlites were having.
Mr. Henderlite noticed anyway. “You're goin' out tonight. This is new.”
“I'm meeting up with Arial. She has something to show me,” Bryce said.
“So long as this date doesn't go down the path mine did when the missus had to show me something interestin'. Have a good time.”
Mrs. Henderlite nudged her husband. “Don’t talk to him like he's a kid, Larry. I'm sure he knows what is and isn't appropriate. Besides, I think you're gettin' your dates mixed up. That night happened long after we were married.”
“Being old is hard, Bryce. Enjoy your youth,” Mr. Henderlite said.
Bryce chuckled. “I plan on it.” He then added for Mrs. Henderlite's peace of mind, “We're just going to talk. It's not even a date. Our relationship isn't like that.”
“Yet,” Mr. Henderlite added. “I know you're thinkin' it. Otherwise you wouldn't spend every waking moment over there.”
“I am thinking about it, yes,” he confessed. “But there are a lot of complicated factors to weigh. The main one being my ex and whether or not it's too soon to be in another relationship.”
“Are you still in love with your ex?” Mrs. Henderlite asked.
Bryce glanced over at her, a little taken aback by the question. Did he still love Katie? Of all the questions he'd asked himself, that one hadn't crossed his mind once. He shrugged. “No, I can't say that I am. Not like I thought I was, at least. But that's what makes it complicated. There are a lot of emotions flying around to sort through.”
Mrs. Henderlite laughed, although Bryce didn't think anything was all that funny. “Bryce, honey, you're overanalyzing it. If you don't love your ex, then it's not too soon to move on. The fact that you don't act like some kind of a wounded puppy dog is a pretty good sign you're not livin' in denial, too. For a guy who's been dumped by his first love, you seem to be taking it awfully well.”
“Because I don't miss her in the ways I thought I would,” he said. “Just because I'm not lingering in the past and longing for something lost doesn't mean Arial is ready, though. The last thing I want to do is mess this up. I need to make sure she believes me. Taking our time and waiting for the right moment is more important to me than confessing everything in a crazy whirl of emotions.”
“You don't want to get burned again, but some burns are good to have.”
Bryce looked at the clock. “I need to go, or I'm going to be late. Don't feel like you need to wait up for me.”
He winked, teasing them. The night could be a long one, but that was all dependent on how much talking they did. When given the opportunity, he and Arial could go on for hours and not even realize that much time had passed. There would be a lot to say tonight. With a slight wave, he headed out the door.
The jog to Arial's house took him about five minutes. He tried to keep it as leisurely as possible. Showing up at her doorstep sweaty and gross didn't seem like a good idea. The desire to be near her again, however, propelled him forward at a faster pace than he had intended. Before he knocked on her front door, he gave himself a moment to catch his breath and make himself presentable.
****
Arial answered the door when she heard the knock. She made sure to be quick about it so no one in the house had any idea there was a guest around. A smile formed on her lips when she saw Bryce. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her quickly.
“Are you ready to be amazed?” she asked. They walked along the side of the house to the garage where she stopped briefly to grab a blanket for them to sit on.
“I'm curious, that's for sure,” he said.
She brought him out to the pond and spread the blanket out over the grass. Carefully, she lay down on it. Rather than join her, Bryce stared down at her. He scratched his chin as he did, and she wondered what his hang-up was.
“I'm not going to bite you,” she said, propping herself up onto her elbows.
“Wasn't too worried about getting bitten,” he said. Finally, he sat down on