I stared quietly down at my finished pudding, and then slowly stood and went to throw it away. When I returned, Angela remarked, “Well, I better be off. You two have fun now,” she paused, frowning, and then edited, “Well, or commiserate together, one of the two.” I smiled wryly as she walked away.
I turned back to Drew, “Do you want to see her again?”
“No.”
I was surprised by the abruptness of the answer. “Okay,” I said softly. He looked at me, and his eyes flashed, momentarily agonized. “Tomorrow?” he choked out.
I knew he wasn’t asking about when we left for Nebraska. “Yes,” I said quietly, “Do you want to stay for that?”
This time he did not answer right away. “No,” he finally said, “I don’t think I do.” His voice was distant, quiet.
“Well,” I said standing carefully and sighing, “I guess we should check on my Mom. We’ll need to sleep somewhere.”
His head snapped up, his eyes focusing on me, “Oh. Right. I forgot you used to live here.”
“Emphasis on used,” I muttered, “Let’s hope she lets us in.”