“A massage?” I wince and draw away from him. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” he asks. “Don’t you trust me?”
Or maybe it’s me I don’t trust. I don’t say that, of course, but I sure as hell think it.
I clear my throat. “I don’t think it would be a good idea.”
“Why not? A massage doesn’t have to be sexual.”
“No, but I don’t want it to look sexual either.”
“Huh.” He eyes me curiously. “You’re worried about Rob walking in on us?”
“I don’t want to give him any reason not to trust me.”
“I see. And you really don’t trust me, huh?”
“I…”
“I mean, it’s not like Rob isn’t my boy or anything. You think I would move in on his girl?”
“What about Allie?” I blurt out.
“What about her?” he asks, sounding genuinely confused.
“Didn’t you all date her?”
“That was a few years ago. Ancient history.”
“Still. It’s a bit… weird… don’t you think? That you were all with her?”
“At different times. What does it matter?”
"It… doesn't, I guess."
“You can’t,” he warns me.
“I can’t what?”
“Be so uptight. The past is the past. It can’t be changed.”
“I know. I realize that. I’m not the most rational right now, I guess.”
“No worries, but that’s just adding to your stress, and your stress is adding to your tension, but if you don’t want a massage, then how about dancing? I can put on some music, and you can dance.”
“And you film me? No way.”
He laughs. “I can’t film my phone and play music on it at the same time.”
“Thank God.”
Gabe puts on a few different songs, but I can’t get into any of them, but once he stumbles upon my jam, I can’t help tapping my foot.
“Go ahead,” he encourages, and finally, I cave and get up and start to sway. When the song is over, he starts it up again, and I sway more and more and finally give in and dance. More songs play, and Gabe gets up and starts to dance. It’s fun, a lot of fun, so much fun, but then my father’s favorite song comes on, and I just freeze.
Gabe reaches over to his phone on the couch and changes the song, but it’s too late. The fun vibe is gone, and I feel like the walls are closing in on me.
“Are you okay?” he asks softly.