What's Life Without the Sprinkles - By Misty Simon Page 0,35
that it’s all just as peachy-keen fine as you’re trying to make it out to be. Talk to me and we’ll sort things out before we get there.” Zoe pinched Claudia’s calf through her pajama pants, but Claudia ignored her.
“There’s nothing to sort out, Mom. I’ll be just fine. The guy didn’t want me all those years ago, and I don’t want him now. So I’m just going to go and see all my real family, and hope Grandpa will give me something cool, and then come home and play some video games.” He got up this time without waiting for her to let him go. He didn’t precisely stomp back to his room, but it was a close thing.
She was so tempted to go after him, to explain that Peter’s desertion had never had anything to do with Justin, but she didn’t have any new words to give him, and obviously the ones she’d been saying for years had never penetrated.
Resting her head back against the top of the couch, Claudia released the breath she’d been holding, while letting just one single tear leak from her eye. “Well, I guess that didn’t go nearly as bad as it could have gone. Right?” She rolled her head to look at Zoe still sitting on the floor, eating the rest of the toast.
“Sure, Claudia. He could have actually stomped down the hall instead of merely shuffling loudly.”
“You’re not helping.” Closing her eyes, Claudia took a deep breath. “Should I go follow him?”
“Honestly?”
“Yes, honestly. I’m not going to ask you to lie to me.”
“Then, no. I think you should let him go. He’s probably anxious and nervous right now. You gave him the opportunity to open up to you if he needed to, and he knows you’re here for him. I think that’s all you can do at this point without making him angry and defensive. If you keep going at him about it, then he’s going to think his response is wrong or his feelings are wrong, and that will just make things worse.” Zoe rose from the floor, taking the empty toast plate with her.
Claudia took a sip of her rapidly cooling hot chocolate. Perhaps there was only so much she could do, but that didn’t stop her from feeling helpless—and hopeless that today was going to pass by without a serious hiccup in her stride and Justin’s.
****
A lazy Sunday morning ranked right up there with some of the finer things in life, as far as Nate was concerned. The buzz of lawnmowers run by more energetic people than himself created a dull hum to punctuate how little Nate planned on doing today. He’d told Claudia he might show at the lunch at May’s today, but he was still debating whether that would be a good idea.
Rolling across his big king-sized bed, he grabbed the remote control from the nightstand and flipped on the flat screen he’d hung on the wall opposite the bed. Stacking his hands behind his head, he let the sheet ride low on his hips. This was the life. Quiet mornings with no one else to take care of, no plans but those he made, and no demands on his time that he didn’t want.
The news played low across the room. He watched with half his attention because the other half was gnawing on the thought of Claudia and how she had kissed him last night. He had told himself it was a fluke, but he was hard pressed to believe that in the light of day.
What if she did want more? What if his lazy Sunday morning involved lying in bed with a half-dressed Claudia, her hair spread out against his navy-blue pillowcase? Morning snuggling and her giggle under the covers. A knock on the door as they covered up for Justin to come busting through the bedroom door and jump on the bed, demanding Nate come out to play baseball with him in the backyard…
He could almost see it, and that frightened him. He and Claudia enjoyed a comfortable friendship, a way of having each other’s backs without smothering. Sharing the little things and the big things. If they did get together, they’d still have all that plus the giggles under the covers, but the potential for disaster was bigger, since it could all be gone in the time it took to utter one or two words that couldn’t be taken back in an argument.
Restless now with his thoughts and doubts, Nate climbed out