24

I loved talking to Jake because he always listened. It didn’t matter what I was talking to him about, he would stare at my lips the entire time as if he were hanging onto my every word. I wasn’t used to getting that kind of attention from men. Maybe it was the men I dated, or maybe it was the fact that he was older, but he seemed more interested in what I had to say. It seemed pathetic on hindsight but it was one of the most endearing things about him.

“Where did you go just now?” he asked tapping the side of my head and I shrugged. We had moved from the living room and I was sitting on the counter while he made me something to eat. I made the mistake of mentioning that I didn’t have anything for dinner and he immediately sprung into action.

He was so attentive and I couldn’t help but wonder why he was still single. I vaguely remembered my father saying something about him having a bitch ex wife but I never probed because I never wanted to draw attention to my crush on him. I wanted t