I smiled.
“I think I can manage one eighteen-year-old.”
Tom laughed.
“If you can manage me, you can manage anybody.”
That night, however, I found myself lying awake long after he fell asleep.
The thought of four days alone with Jake made me uncomfortable in a way I couldn’t explain.
It wasn’t that I believed he would do anything inappropriate.
It was that I had become aware of a strange tension between us, and I didn’t know how to make it disappear.
The next morning, I decided I needed to establish some distance.
I would keep our conversations focused on college.
I would avoid unnecessary time alone together.
And I would stop analyzing every glance as though it meant something.
It sounded simple enough.
Then Jake walked into the kitchen while I was making coffee.
“Morning, Sarah.”
“Morning. Did you finish your housing application?”
“Almost.”
“Good. You should submit it today.”
