The Art of Catching Feelings

by Alicia Thompson

“Justin’s his best friend. He can’t believe we’re not going to work it out. So he gave us each a ticket to today’s game, I guess hoping we’d somehow make up in time to go? Or just show up and find our way back to each other by the end, like we’re in Parent Trap and he’s Lindsay Lohan?”

Chris frowned. As much as he didn’t love reading all the hate directed his way, he didn’t want it directed toward that fan, either. As far as he could tell, no one had identified her to make her name part of the public conversation, and he hoped it stayed that way. Intellectually, he didn’t blame her—he’d been heckled way worse before, and would probably get heckled more in the future, especially if he continued on the slide he’d been on lately.

He hadn’t heard it in years, decades, but the minute he’d heard it shouted by that fan it had immediately brought him back. To a time when he was young, and hopeful. To a time when his brother was alive.

I knew it. I knew someone was dead

The fact that he answered each part of her question in order got to her a little. This wasn’t a formal interview; he didn’t owe her answers to anything at all. And yet he seemed to want her to know each of those details, because she’d asked about them, and she didn’t know what to do with that.

“I just want someone to know me,” Daphne said. “To love me for who I am but to also push me to be who I want to be.”

C: I’d let you have the window seat.

He bit his lip to stop the smile from spreading across his face before realizing that no one was watching him. He could smile as wide as he wanted.

C: Oh. C: Sorry, I don’t quite know what to say. My first instinct was to say, “Cool,” but something tells me that’s not it?

D: What about you? C: I’ve never been married. She rolled her eyes. That kind of information she would’ve expected his Wikipedia to cover. Whether he was currently dating anyone, on the other hand… C: And no girlfriend right now.