Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

Author:Kasie West
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2017-10-19T04:00:00+00:00

TWENTY

Complete awkward silence followed Lacey’s departure. I took several big bites of burger to try and justify it. After swallowing my mouthful, I panicked. Could I really not hold a normal conversation outside my friend group? The image of that lone fish swimming toward my foot crept into my mind, and I wasn’t sure why. But then I realized I was feeling the same anxiousness now. Once I had let it happen, I was fine. Just give this a chance, I told myself.

Crickets literally chirped in a nearby bush and Elliot’s eyes were drawn to the sound. Then he smiled. “And the crickets break the silence.”

I immediately relaxed with a laugh. “Kind of ironic.”

He nodded to where Lacey had retreated. “For an actress, she’s not very subtle, is she?”

“I don’t think she was trying to be. Subtle is not necessarily her thing.”

“She got me over here alone with you, so I shouldn’t be complaining.”

My cheeks went pink, and his statement was followed by a long silence that I thought we had already conquered but was apparently back for round two. I tapped on the plastic arm of the lounge chair, then ate some watermelon. “What is your favorite thing to sculpt? What do you always go back to?”

“My favorite?” he asked. “I don’t know that it’s my favorite, but I sculpt a lot of trees. I think I’m trying to make the perfect one.”

“Do you sculpt with clay or stone?”

“Clay.”

“I’ve never painted a tree. Well, I mean, not as the sole subject. I’ve painted them as background or part of a scene. I should try a tree.”

“What’s your favorite thing to paint?” he asked.

“I don’t really have a favorite. I painted a sunrise recently, and that was fun.”

“I didn’t see a sunrise in the living room.”

“The living room just has some of my paintings. I have a back room full of my stuff.”

“Why didn’t you show me that?”

“Weren’t you the one who talked about pretension?”

“There’s a fine line between feeling like a show-off and wanting people to see your work, isn’t there?”

“For sure,” I said.

“Well, I want to see it.”

I smiled.

“Abby!” I heard my name called from a distance. I looked over to see Cooper standing by an ice chest, holding up a can of Dr Pepper. The patio lights were on now, and white lights were strung around trees and posts and lit the otherwise dark backyard. When had it gotten so dark?

I nodded. Then he pointed at Elliot.

“Do you want a soda? Cooper wants to know.”

Elliot cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Coke!”

Cooper jogged around the pool and presented us with our two cans. “Coke might be a deal breaker for Abby. She hates Coke.”

I rolled my eyes. “He’s kidding.”

“So you don’t hate Coke?” Elliot said.

“No, I hate Coke. But not a deal breaker.”

Cooper cuffed Elliot on the arm, then left. We both watched him go. That was weird. He joined up with Iris again and she slid her arm around his waist.

“You two are really close,” Elliot said, breaking my stare.

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