table.
Beckett blinked a couple of times and curled his hand into a relaxed fist. The tension that had been building in the air between us collapsed and disappeared. I was relieved.
I was terrified.
I was so, so disappointed.
“I remember you saying in group that you have a pottery studio in town?” Beckett asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“Yeah. It’s called Razzle Dazzle. It’s on Main Street just on the other side of Denny’s.”
“That’s cool. I really like arty stuff. I don’t paint or sculpt or anything like that but I used to take pictures. I was actually pretty good too. My doctor suggested I get back into it or find some other outlet to de-stress. She says art is very calming. I just haven’t really gotten around to it.”
“Sculpting makes me calm,” I responded lamely. Always lamely. It was my natural state of being. I sounded like a Neanderthal.
Me Corin like pottery.
“Maybe I could come by sometime,” Beckett ventured.
“Oh, yeah, sure. Anytime. We’re open until five Monday through Saturday, but we don’t open until noon on Wednesdays,” I recited by rote. “We’re also closed on Sundays and on most holidays.”
Okay, Corin, it’s time to shut up now.
“Can I come by now?” Beckett asked.
“N-now?” I sputtered.
Beckett shrugged. “Well, it’s not like you’re drinking that coffee, and I took the rest of the day off, so why not?”
“Oh, well, okay.”
I stood up in a rush and knocked over the still-full cup of coffee.
“Crap!” I yelped. Beckett grabbed a handful of napkins and started mopping up the mess.
“I think you could use some de-stressing as well,” Beckett joked, dropping the soggy napkins on his saucer.
I gave him a half smile. Not much.
But he smiled back as though I had given him so much more.
Chapter 8
Corin
Before leaving the coffee shop, I had excused myself to go to the bathroom to rinse off my shirt that had gotten stained in the Coffeepocalypse.
I closed myself in the restroom and ran some water in the sink, trying to get myself together.
Why was I freaking out?
What was the big deal?
The nerves in the pit of my stomach knocked around like a thousand butterflies, trying to crawl up my throat. Suffocating me. Ruining everything.
This was the first time in my adult life I was developing something that felt a lot like friendship.
Real friendship.
Something genuine.
Sure I had Adam, but most days I was pretty sure he didn’t even like me.
Beckett seemed to enjoy being around me. As incredible as that sounded, he didn’t find me off-putting or odd. He had told me that he liked talking to me. He laughed when I was actually
trying
to be funny and not because I was acting like a freak.
The dull ache in my chest that I had grown accustomed to had disappeared. The familiar pain in my joints, in my muscles, was gone. I wasn’t thinking about any of that right now.
Because I was almost sure that I had just made a new friend.
This isn’t kindergarten, Corin. Don’t be a dork!
I joined Beckett outside after a few minutes. He was looking down at his phone, a dark scowl on his face. He typed out a text angrily before making a noise of disgust and then shoved the phone into his pocket.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
Beckett looked up at the sound of my voice, his face clearing. All signs of his earlier irritation gone.
“Just peachy,” he responded a little too brightly.
His phone chirped again and his face blackened again.
“Do you need to answer that?” I asked, pointing to his phone.
He sighed. “I can deal with it later.”
“Is it work?” I pried. I really was being nosy today.
“We really need to find you a filter that fits,” Beckett chuckled, not offended.
“If you have somewhere to be, you can come by the studio later,” I offered, feeling mildly disappointed at the idea.
“No, it’s nothing. Just…it’s just my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend.
I had almost forgotten about her.
“Ex-girlfriend I
Beckett blinked a couple of times and curled his hand into a relaxed fist. The tension that had been building in the air between us collapsed and disappeared. I was relieved.
I was terrified.
I was so, so disappointed.
“I remember you saying in group that you have a pottery studio in town?” Beckett asked, abruptly changing the subject.
“Yeah. It’s called Razzle Dazzle. It’s on Main Street just on the other side of Denny’s.”
“That’s cool. I really like arty stuff. I don’t paint or sculpt or anything like that but I used to take pictures. I was actually pretty good too. My doctor suggested I get back into it or find some other outlet to de-stress. She says art is very calming. I just haven’t really gotten around to it.”
“Sculpting makes me calm,” I responded lamely. Always lamely. It was my natural state of being. I sounded like a Neanderthal.
Me Corin like pottery.
“Maybe I could come by sometime,” Beckett ventured.
“Oh, yeah, sure. Anytime. We’re open until five Monday through Saturday, but we don’t open until noon on Wednesdays,” I recited by rote. “We’re also closed on Sundays and on most holidays.”
Okay, Corin, it’s time to shut up now.
“Can I come by now?” Beckett asked.
“N-now?” I sputtered.
Beckett shrugged. “Well, it’s not like you’re drinking that coffee, and I took the rest of the day off, so why not?”
“Oh, well, okay.”
I stood up in a rush and knocked over the still-full cup of coffee.
“Crap!” I yelped. Beckett grabbed a handful of napkins and started mopping up the mess.
“I think you could use some de-stressing as well,” Beckett joked, dropping the soggy napkins on his saucer.
I gave him a half smile. Not much.
But he smiled back as though I had given him so much more.
Chapter 8
Corin
Before leaving the coffee shop, I had excused myself to go to the bathroom to rinse off my shirt that had gotten stained in the Coffeepocalypse.
I closed myself in the restroom and ran some water in the sink, trying to get myself together.
Why was I freaking out?
What was the big deal?
The nerves in the pit of my stomach knocked around like a thousand butterflies, trying to crawl up my throat. Suffocating me. Ruining everything.
This was the first time in my adult life I was developing something that felt a lot like friendship.
Real friendship.
Something genuine.
Sure I had Adam, but most days I was pretty sure he didn’t even like me.
Beckett seemed to enjoy being around me. As incredible as that sounded, he didn’t find me off-putting or odd. He had told me that he liked talking to me. He laughed when I was actually
trying
to be funny and not because I was acting like a freak.
The dull ache in my chest that I had grown accustomed to had disappeared. The familiar pain in my joints, in my muscles, was gone. I wasn’t thinking about any of that right now.
Because I was almost sure that I had just made a new friend.
This isn’t kindergarten, Corin. Don’t be a dork!
I joined Beckett outside after a few minutes. He was looking down at his phone, a dark scowl on his face. He typed out a text angrily before making a noise of disgust and then shoved the phone into his pocket.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
Beckett looked up at the sound of my voice, his face clearing. All signs of his earlier irritation gone.
“Just peachy,” he responded a little too brightly.
His phone chirped again and his face blackened again.
“Do you need to answer that?” I asked, pointing to his phone.
He sighed. “I can deal with it later.”
“Is it work?” I pried. I really was being nosy today.
“We really need to find you a filter that fits,” Beckett chuckled, not offended.
“If you have somewhere to be, you can come by the studio later,” I offered, feeling mildly disappointed at the idea.
“No, it’s nothing. Just…it’s just my girlfriend.”
Girlfriend.
I had almost forgotten about her.
“Ex-girlfriend I
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