Lochlan is sitting on the front porch with me going full Elvis treatment on John Lennon's Starting Over. He does a mean arrangement of this song, but the Elvis part always makes me giggle uncontrollably. He winks and postures with the guitar from his chair and then puts it down and says, what have we here? when we see an unfamiliar car come down the drive. Because they have the gate code he stands up.
It's just Matt in a dealership loaner.
Ah.
Wait.
I don't go and get Sam quite yet. In case Matt is here just to collect something he forgot. The timing is suspect because Sam is usually at work right now and he's downstairs sleeping instead, after staying up far too late talking with August and Ben last night by the fire, the Christmas tree lights left on for a quiet light by which to sort out his head and his heart.
Hey. Sam is home. He's sleeping.
May I...uh. Can I see him?
You don't have to ask. I was just warning you in case you didn't want to see him.
Of course I want to see him. I went to the church first but they said he came home to nap.
Did you move out prematurely? I hope so. I stand there, dealbreaker that I am, trying to be nice in hopes that Matt will reconsider his opinion of me.
We tend to work things through more proficiently if we don't sleep in the same space after talking.
There's another room upstairs you can stay in if it would be easier.
It's fine thanks. I've got it covered.
Okay. I stand completely helplessly in his way until Lochlan gently pulls me away from the door. Matt smiles gratefully at him and goes inside. As well as Matt and I get along on our own, we're still strangers and I'm enemy number one after all this time and it makes me sad.
