Page 59 of Somebody To Love

And then it clicked. “Hold on. How are you Danny’s uncle?” According to Ty, he didn’t have a sibling besides his sister. And Danny’s mom was too old to be Ty’s sister, right?

“I’m not,” he said. “I’m just a friend of his mom’s family. Danny’s mom and I grew up together. She lived next door. So after her divorce, when her deadbeat husband stopped showing up to events, I stepped in and started helping out with Danny.”

“That was really kind of you,” I said, meaning it.

He tossed some pancake batter on griddle and said, “It’s no big deal. She would have done the same for me. You know, my grandparents would have her babysit me even though we’re practically the same age?” He chuckled as he flipped the pancakes.

“They thought she was the mature one, I guess.”

“She was just a tattle-tale. A superior snitch.”

He finished up the pancakes and then ate quickly. I gathered my things and together we made our way to the lobby of his complex. We parted ways after exchanging a kiss. I was about to open my car door when I heard him call my name.

I turned around. “Can’t get enough of me, huh?”

He smiled and said, “That’s a reasonable assumption.” He reached into his pocket and said, “I’ve got something for you.”

I looked at him questioningly when he pulled a keychain out of his pocket and pressed it into my hand. “This way you can come and go as you please.”

“Oh, ok,” I responded, not sure what else to say. Was he asking me to move in with him? Or was he just giving me his key? I was confused, but then I thought I was being silly. Of course, he wasn’t asking me to move in with him... right?

“See you later,” he said kissing me again on my cheek and then hurrying off. I stood there for a while just staring at the key in my hand and then finally I willed my legs to move.

I immediately called Dana. “I need your help.”

“I thought we were meeting up today. We’re still on, right? You aren’t blowing me off again to lie in bed with Mr. Lover Boy, are you?”

“I promise you, I’m up and out of bed. But Mr. Lover Boy, as you called him, gave me a key to his condo? What does it mean? Does he want me to move in with him?”

“Did he say that he wanted you to move in with him?”

“Well no…”

“Then why would you think he wants you move in with him?”

I felt sort of stupid suddenly for jumping to conclusions. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“He probably just gave you the key because you’re always shacking up there.”

“Hey.”

“Well, you are always there, I’m just saying.”

“Well, enough said, I’ll see you in a few hours. Don’t be late.”

I hung up and tried not to feel foolish. Dana was right, unless he explicitly asked me to move in with him, why would I assume that that’s what he wanted?

I wanted to kick myself. Sometimes I leapt to conclusions without even the slightest provocation. I was the queen of making assumptions.

I was on autopilot as I made my way to my house. My mind went from thinking of Ty to thinking about the key he had given me. I guess I sort of did want to move in with him. Yeah, our relationship was new. But I felt that I knew him well and I did want to spend all my time with him. And clearly, he felt the same way, right? If he had given me a key and told me to come and go as I pleased. That meant something. Or was I just being silly? I couldn’t tell.

I worked at home until I heard Dana ring my doorbell. She was early, I thought to myself.

“I need to use your bathroom, now,” were the first words out of her mouth as soon as I opened the door. She was carrying just a plastic bag. Where was her laptop?

She didn’t even give me a chance to respond. She just marched past me and then I heard a door shutting hard.

“Umm.... okay then,” I said mostly to myself since Dana wasn’t around to hear. I wondered what was up with her.