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I held my breath, smiling tightly.Here we go.“Yes, we’ve had two lunches.”
“And?”
“And a few midnight walks.” I deliberately left out the hour of paradise in his basement apartment.
“And?” she pressed, unwilling to let it drop.
I really didn’t want to confess, and yet, Gina presented a sympathetic ear. I knew that she wouldn’t blab all over town. She was Linc’s sister and a smear campaign would serve her no purpose. I also considered her a friend, but I definitely didn’t want her telling Porter.
“If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else.” I shook a finger at her.
“I promise,” she said quickly.
“I’m dead serious. Not even Porter.Especiallynot Porter.” I narrowed my eyes to make sure she understood.
Gina winced. I knew that between couples, secrets were difficult to keep, but I wasn’t willing to budge. Either she swore not to tell him, or I was going to keep the details to myself. I watched her work through the dilemma in her head before finally nodding.
“Okay.”
“I slept with him,” I admitted.
Gina gasped. “When? Where?”
“At his place. Sunday night.”
“Is everything good between you?” She sounded concerned.
“Well,” I paused for emphasis, “we are dating and I can’t stop smiling, so yeah, I think everything is good.”
“I mean, it’s not awkward?”
“Why would it be awkward?”
“I don’t know.” She picked up her napkin and twisted it into a rope. “The whole time he was in Afghanistan, I was the only one he would talk to. We didn’t communicate very often, but at least I felt like I knew what was going on. Here is different. I have to be nosey to find things out. He didn’t even say hello for the longest time, and after the mess I made at the dinner, he hasn’t said one word to me.”
“Oh.” I looked down at the table. I hadn’t considered things from Gina’s point of view. I supposed I would feel upset and maybe even a little jealous if I were in her shoes. I decided to open up and share my own concerns.
“After we…” I looked my friend in the eye to make sure she understood.
She nodded, getting the picture.
“He just lay there on the opposite side of the bed.” I watched her reaction, hoping I wasn’t being too graphic. “He didn’t say anything or hold me or anything. When he got up to take a shower, I bolted.”
Gina’s mouth dropped open. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I got scared, I guess. Usually there’s something afterwards, right? Like a hug or something.”
“Yeah.” Gina nodded, smoothing out her napkin before twisting it up again. Our food arrived. I picked up my fork but didn’t digin. Gina didn’t eat either, staring down at her lasagna as if it were made of plastic. “How does he seem to you? I mean, I can’t imagine all the things he’s seen. Is he okay?”
I considered the question. Linc was a little difficult to get to know, but once you got under his cool exterior, he was patient and compassionate. His leg seemed to be healing. I hadn’t noticed him grimacing in pain or as eager to sit down as he had been that first day on the job. I knew he didn’t sleep, so I guessed that meant that something was bothering him. He didn’t talk about Afghanistan, and I didn’t ask him about it. There was an unspoken agreement that war was too delicate a topic for conversation. I supposed that eventually I could ask him to share his trauma with me, but maybe that was the difference between Gina and me. Maybe Linc was more comfortable around me because Ididn’task.
“I think he’s okay,” I said finally. “I don’t think you have to worry.”
Gina blew air out in a small stream. “Okay.” She picked up her fork and took a bite. “What do you think I can do to encourage him to come around more?”
I frowned. I wasn’t sure there was anything Gina could do. She was practically married to Linc’s boss, she lived too far away for him to get to easily, and she was way too busy for accidental meetups in the park. I felt her pain, but I didn’t know how I could help.
“I’ll talk to him,” I said finally.
