I love the house, but I don’t love it so much I’ll give up my personal space indefinitely for it. I can’t keep living in the second bedroom, dusting my parents’ iron sculptures for the rest of my life. I need it to feel like mine.
“No, Rosie. We want you to have it. We just…” She sniffles.
My heart aches to upset her so much, but this conversation is overdue. Maybe we shouldn’t be having it over the phone while I sit in my sweltering car but waiting another six months until they’re home again would just let it go on festering.
“It was easier not to think about the rest,” Dad says. “We got so excited about our travel plans, honey. We wanted to start right away. But maybe we shouldn’t have saddled you with all that.”
“We can get a storage unit when we come back at Christmas.” Mom’s definitely crying now. “It’s your house, Rosie. I’m sorry we did this all wrong. Have you been very upset with us?”
“I haven’t been upset, Mom. I just didn’t know how to ask for what I wanted. I’m trying now.”
“I’m starting to think Reed’s been a bad influence on you,” Dad jokes. Mom shushes him.
Nope. Reed’s been nothing but a good influence.
He’s also the next person on my list I need to tell exactly what I want.
text thread
Reed: I need you all to meet me at my cabin this afternoon
Nathan: Is…is this how you’re letting us know you’ve been kidnapped?
Nathan: Should we send out a search crew?
Luke: What’s wrong?
Reed: I need advice
Lucy: Romantic advice?
Lucy: You don’t need all these guys, you just need me
Nathan: If you want to know when to propose to Rose, the answer is as soon as possible
Nathan: Lock that woman down
Lucy: Agreed
Graham: Have they even been dating a month?
Lucy: When you know, you know
Nathan: And I dare Reed to tell us he doesn’t know
Graham: I’m intrigued by the silence
Luke: His worst tell
Lucy: That man is so far gone
Reed: It’s not about Rose
Reed: It’s about the coffee shop
Reed: And more
Reed: I can’t explain everything in a text