Stuck With You: A Sweet Romantic Comedy

Part 19

Bianca

I hadn't forgotten to ask Timo if he was serious about wanting to go camping with us, I'd just been avoiding the subject.

We'd all talked about it the evening that Timo and I had gone to dinner at Liberty's. There'd been loose talk of a camping trip for years now, but I'd thought it would be one of those things we'd just keep saying we should do and never actually follow through on. It seemed I'd been wrong.

How about this coming weekend?

Maybe

Adam just got a reservation at the Redwoods

Oh

You in?

I guess so

What about Timo?

I don't know. I'll have to ask him

Never mind. I'll have Adam ask him

Adam has Timo's number????

All I got back was a smiley. This wasn't good. Timo was worming his way into my friend group. More accurately, my friend group was sucking Timo in, possibly, against his will.

I could almost hear the discussion between Liberty and Adam about how great Timo was, and how much better he was than all my previous paramours, and how they'd be substandard friends if they didn't do everything in their power to make sure such a good one didn't get away.

Rob and Camille wanted Timo and me to get together. Liberty and Adam wanted Timo and me to get together. Abby and Kat hadn't gotten to know Timo yet, but it was probably only a matter of time before they came to the same conclusion. It was a conspiracy.

Timo was sitting alone in the breakfast nook drinking a cup of coffee when I got downstairs. He was using the fat folder of paperwork I'd been examining the night before as a coaster.

Half of me wanted to tell him all about the contents of the folder. The other half of me didn't want to further entangle him in my problems. He'd probably want to help me solve them.

"Did Liberty and Adam text you about camping?" Timo asked as I helped myself to a cup from the pot.

"Yes."

"You want to go?" Timo asked.

I wasn't sure if I did.

"Sure, why not?" I said.

"I'll say 'no' if you're not comfortable with me going."

"No, no, you should go."

"Are you going?"

I couldn't very well not go if Timo was going.

"Of course."

I'm not much of a camping person, although Liberty claims that I'd become one if only I'd give it more of a chance.

I'm not big on insects and dirt and sleeping with a rock in the middle of my back. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a graceful way of getting out of it. Plus, part of me wanted to see if Timo-the-Wonder-Manny had any weaknesses or if he'd take to insects, rocks, and sleeping with a rock in the middle of his back like a duck takes to water.

"You do understand what you are getting into?" I asked Timo when he called to tell me he would pick me up from the Mission Tower Friday afternoon before driving on to Liberty's. "You do understand that it's not too late to back out."

"I'm beginning to think you don't want me to go with you."

"Not true," I insisted.

I wasn't entirely comfortable with spending the weekend in a tent with Timo, but then I wasn't entirely comfortable with the concept of spending the weekend in a tent, period.