"This was Tara, right? The girl from high school?"
"Yes," I groan.
"Do you like her?"
I sit up. "Mom, seriously, why all the questions?"
"I just wanted to know if you had fun. I hate seeing you so upset about Riley."
Riley was on my mind all last night. It should've been on Tara, but I couldn't stop thinking about Riley. I missed her, even more than I did the four years I was at college. I think knowing she was with Brad made me miss her more. As the night went on, I started feeling jealous he was out with her and I wasn't.
"Mom, you need to stop worrying. Riley and I are fine. In fact, I was just about to call her."
"So um..." She stands up. "What if Riley starts dating?"
"Who would she date? She's always telling me she can't find anyone here she'd want to go out with."
"Maybe someone new will move to town. People are always coming and going. In fact, my firm is looking to hire some people from out of town."
"You think Riley's going to date an accountant?" I laugh. "I can't see that happening."
"I'm just saying, when she does find someone, I hope you'll be happy for her, just like she would be for you."
"Yeah, okay, Mom. Can I have my room back now?"
She leaves and I call Riley.
"Hey, Nate. I thought we weren't talking."
"That was only for last night."
"You said you needed a few days."
"Yeah, but I missed talking to you. I don't think I can go another day."
"If you're still angry, then I think it's a good idea. I don't want to fight."
"We won't. I promise. So tell me about last night."
"Didn't you talk to Brad?"
"I haven't seen him. I just woke up. So what'd you guys do?"
"Went to a movie and dinner."
"What movie?"
"Um, just a comedy. Nothing you wanted to see."
"Where'd you go for dinner?"
"That new place. The one Giada told us about?"
"Oh, yeah? How was it?"
"Really good, but expensive."
"You should've told Brad to take you somewhere else."
"He really wanted to go there. And he paid so..."
"He paid?" I pause, an uneasiness coming over me. "For the movie too?"
"I told him not to, but he insisted. I think he felt sorry for me."
I relax. "Yeah, that sounds like Brad. It's not so much he feels sorry for you. He's just really generous. And he has the money to do it, so you might as well let him pay."
"How about you? How was your date?"
"It was okay. I think Tara had more fun than I did."
"Why? What happened?"
"She had a little too much to drink. She started dancing next to the table, then she got kind of aggressive."
"Aggressive?"
"Kissing me. Putting her hands all over me. And then she tried to get me to go home with her."
"But you didn't?"
"Riley, you know I don't have sex on the first date. Third, maybe, but not the first."
"You have sex on the third date?"
"I'm joking," I tell her, but truthfully, the answer is yes. I've done it on a third date. "So what do you want to do today?"
"Oh. I didn't think we were hanging out. I thought this cool-off period was going to last longer."
"You don't want to hang out?"
"I can't. I have too much to do. My mom made a mess and I need to clean up."
"Make her do it. She made the mess. She can clean it up."
"Nate, don't start. You know she won't clean. This place would be disgusting if it weren't for me."
"Which is why you need to get out of there."
"If you're just going to lecture me, I'm hanging up."
"Why are you getting so angry? We always talk about this."
"Yeah, and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of you telling me what to do."
"Riley, what the hell? Why are you acting like this?"
"I just don't want you lecturing me anymore or telling me what to do. You're supposed to be my friend, not my boss."
"Fine, forget I said anything."
There's something different about her today. She never talks to me like this and almost never raises her voice like she did just now.
"Nate, I need to go. I have a ton of stuff to get done."
"Okay, bye."
She must be in a bad mood. I'll call her later.
I get up and go in the kitchen. Brad is there, making a sandwich.
"You just get up?" he asks.
"Yeah," I mutter, opening the fridge.
"Late night?"
"Not as late as yours." I grab the orange juice and shut the fridge door.
Brad walks around to the other side of the counter with his sandwich.
I stand across from him. "You're not going to say anything?"
"About what?" He takes a bite of his sandwich.
"About why the hell you were out so late."
"Why do you care? Last I knew I didn't I have a curfew." He reaches across the counter and grabs an apple from the bowl and takes a bite.
"I was worried about Riley. She never stays out that late. I thought something happened."
"Why were you worried? She was with me."
"You should've been home by nine or ten." I take a glass from the cupboard. "She said you guys went to dinner and a movie. If that's all you did, why'd you get home so late?"
"We went to her place and watched TV. I wasn't paying attention to the time. I didn't know you were waiting up for me," he says, sounding annoyed.
"You could've at least texted and told me you were there," I say, my anger rising.
"I'm not going to tell where I go and when. I moved out of my parents' house to get away from that shit." He finishes his sandwich and takes the plate to the sink. "So what happened with you? The date didn't go well?"
"It went okay. At least I took her home at a reasonable hour."
He chuckles. "And you get to define 'reasonable' for the rest of us?" He pats my shoulder. "Sorry, man, I know it's your house, but I'm not under your rules." He takes what's left of his apple and walks back to his room.
Sometimes he really annoys me. Like just now, he could've just told me what they did last night, but instead he makes it all mysterious. I shouldn't have to ask twenty questions to find out why he got home so late. Why didn't Riley tell me they went to her place?
After breakfast, as I'm cleaning up, Brad appears again, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.
"I'm heading out," he says.
"Where are you going?"
"On a run." He walks to the garage.
"You're driving?"
He turns back. "What's with all the questions? Last I heard, I was free to come and go."
"You are. I just wondered why you're driving somewhere to run."
"I wanted to run on a trail, not sidewalks." He turns to leave.