Page 102 of My So-Called Perfect Life

“Ryan texted me.” I switch back to FaceTime as I reach my door.

“Is he down for the escape room?”

“Hold on,” I tell her sticking my phone in my pocket and switching it out for my keys. I try juggling my purse, the mail, and work bag while unlocking my front door without anything slipping.

Dropping my bags on the ground next to the door, I grab my phone from my pocket. Mercy sits on FaceTime still munching on her pizza. “No.” I pull my ear buds from my phone and drop them in my purse. “He’s going hiking Sunday.”

“Hiking?” she asks as she places the last bite of crust into her mouth. “Isn’t it supposed to be cold all weekend?”

“Yeah, hiking,” I say just as curious. “It’s weird. He didn’t mention anything about it yesterday.”

“Ryan is always doing off the cuff things though, right?”

I nod while taking off my coat and hang it. “True. It’s just he was short with his message. It wasn’t our typical texts. It was impersonal which is odd for Ryan.”

“Did you guys get into a fight?”

Kicking my shoes into the corner, I slip my feet into my slippers and my soles practically weep for joy feeling the soft wool surround them. “Not really. I think he’s mad that I’m skipping his family thing for the concert but that’s really unfair of him. He seemed distant last night but he told me he wasn’t mad, and we’d do it another time.”

“He knows how much you love boy bands,” she points out. “That would be like you getting mad at him for changing plans to go to a baseball game he won tickets to.”

“That’s what I said.” My guilty conscience still nibbles at the back of my mind. “But he seems to be putting some space between us. He’s really avoiding me until Monday?”

“How do you know he’s avoiding you?”

I pull the clip from my hair, freeing it. “I don’t know . . . I figured he’d at least ask if I wanted to go. He’s always dragging me to these things. He lives for pushing me out of my comfort zone.”

“Would you have wanted to go?”

Would I?“I don’t know. Probably not, but I would’ve if it meant something to him.”

Mercy shrugs. “Maybe that’s why he didn’t ask. He could just want a few days to himself and decided to up and go.”

That’s a high possibility. Ryan has never denied that he takes adventure as it comes, planned or spur of the moment.

What did he tell me about his first skiing trip?It cleared his mind. Maybe he needs some alone time to do that. I can only imagine opening a second business while also running the first is stressful.

“You don’t think it’s weird?” I ask her as I plop down on my couch, skipping slipping into my sweatpants for the time being.

She hitches a shoulder. “You’re asking the wrong person. I’m not a relationship gal. But I do think your refusal to make your relationship an official thing is weird. Like, why don’t you guys want to publicly claim each other as yours?”

“What is this the seventeenth century?” I huff. “You can’t own someone.”

Mercy laughs and shakes her head. “Oh yes you can. I’m pretty sure Ryan owns your body every time he touches it. But for argument’s sake, you can own your feelings. You guys have been together for over three months. When are you going to admit your boyfriend and girlfriend? You didn’t even correct me when I called him that before.”

I kick my feet up on the coffee table.Shit!I should’ve grabbed a bottle of wine from the kitchen first.Oh well, I’m not getting up now.“We are two people who get along great, enjoy the other’s company, have off the charts sex, and are comfortable with the way things are. Labels do not equal feelings, Mercy.”

A devilish grin sprawls her lips. “Whatareyour feelings about Ryan?”

“What are you twelve?” I roll my eyes.

“Come on.” She pouts. “Are you in love with him? He did want you to meet the folks so maybe it’s time to get serious. I know all about your awesome sex, crazy adventures, but you keep a tight lid on the feelings part.”

“Because I’ve been trying to avoid organizing everything into compartments,” I try to explain. “I’m just going with the flow and letting things happen as they may. Ryan made a good point. Planning out my life didn’t work too well for me. So, I’m not rushing to put labels on things and put them into files.”

Mercy looks disappointed. “Well, that’s boring, but I guess I get it.”

I shrug. “Sorry to disappoint.”