The Shadows Of Yesterday

The Shadows Of Yesterday {13}

I laid on Nora's bed as she dug through her closet. I was scrolling through the notes I'd transferred to my phone from the interview, mentally organizing the article in my head so I could write it tomorrow.

"-remy!"

I glanced away from my phone to Nora. "Yes?"

"You've been ignoring me." She held up a shirt. "How about this one?"

"Doesn't go with your jeans," I said.

She let out an annoyed sigh and unzipped her jeans, kicking them off. "What color, then? Black?"

"White," I said. "Don't you have those white ones with the rips in the knees? Wear those with it."

She brightened. "Oh, yes, a rugged look. I love it, Jeremy!"

I went back to looking at my phone. Seth had saved me from trying to find an excuse to go with Arlo tonight, because one of his science buddies had invited some of them to his apartment in town for drinks tonight. Seth had taken Brynn with him, and with them off campus, it meant Vin wouldn't be around either. Perfect chance to slip away for the night.

Nora sat on the bed next to me, debating between two pairs of white jeans. "Rugged? Or classy?"

"Rugged," I said. "Christ, Nora, you're going to get high in some dude's basement, you're not going on a date."

"Well, we can't all be you," she said.

"I'm not going on a date. We're...going for a walk," I said.

"He's not a dog, Jeremy," she said. "Or, well, if he is, let me know so I can kick his ass. I'll be wearing the perfect heels for it tonight."

"He's good," I said, bringing my foot up to lightly kick her in the back.

"Let me walk to the bus station with you to meet him," she said, looping her arm through mine and pulling me upright.

I leaned against her. "Pantsless?"

"I need to establish dominance," she said, and dropped one of the pairs of jeans. "Rugged it is, in case I need to come to your rescue tonight."

"My knight in white jeans," I said.

She hopped off the bed to pull the jeans on. "There are condoms in...if not in my desk, then probably in Erika's."

"Won't need them. Not planning to sleep with him," I said, laying back down and looking at my phone. "I just like, I don't know, talking to him, I guess. He's easy to talk to."

When I glanced up at her silence, she was smiling at me. I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

"I'm not going to make fun of you," she assured, coming back over to the bed and kissing my cheek. "I'm glad you found someone you like to be around. You tend to just tolerate people, Jeremy. It's rare to see you actually like them."

"I like you," I pointed out. "And Jake. And Seth. And Ziv. I like people."

"Four whole people, amazing," she said. "Name a fifth. And your mom doesn't count."

I thought about it. "Uh...I like...Arlo's friends? Harley and Brooks. So there, two more people. And Arlo makes three."

"Such a picky boy," she chided. "I suppose I'm honored to make the exclusive list. Honestly though, Jeremy, you have a very, very fine line between 'like' and 'tolerate' that you let almost no one cross. It really is nice to see you looking forward to spending time with someone and not just doing it because you feel like you have to."

"Yea, alright, mom," I said. My phone began to buzz in my hand and I glanced at Arlo's name on the screen, stupid emoji and all. I swiped to answer the call. "Hey, Arlo."