5:13

Rowan’s phone binged. She rolled over on the ratty brown couch and reached to grab it off the side table. A quick glance revealed a text from Gareth

Srsly thx.

She smiled and replied:

no prblemo. Its nice to be nice to the nice

Then she added:

G’night

A few minutes later, Gareth’s reply popped up on the screen:

Yah… But u kow
Thx
Night

The typo made Rowan smile again. Where was autocorrect when you needed it?

She dropped the phone on the end of the couch and fumbled for the remote under the green velvet pillows. “Time for a bit of decompression …”

But her mind really wasn’t on the TV. After all these years, I can’t believe I still act like a kid around him. She stared through the screen and saw herself and Gareth as children in the neighbourhood playground. What a klutz. Good thing he had me to take care of him. She leaned back into the pillows and closed her eyes with a wry smile. He really did need me today, didn’t he? The thought brought a wave of contentment, and she abandoned the TV in favour of her own personal dialogue.

I’ll just sit here, I think. Sit here and think.