Bob gazed at her silently, trying to dampen the glow of joy he felt, the relief of knowing he’d reached solid ground and found something they could really talk about. Sometimes, on dates, he’d hear himself rattling on about this game or that team and notice the light fading from the eyes of the woman across the table. He’d panic and try to change the subject, but before long they’d both falter into silence and he’d panic all over again and find himself talking about plants, which was even worse. There had been many late nights when he’d come home alone and rehashed all the things he could have said, the interesting topics he could have reached for, if only he’d been able to stop his skittish brain from reaching for familiar subjects. But Laura liked plants, and she liked sports, and something about her smile told him maybe she liked him, too.

The game continued, and Laura and Bob argued about plays, second-guessed the umpires, and generally enjoyed every minute of the remaining innings. Every time one of them jumped up to curse at the screen or yell at a play, they’d sit down a little closer to the other, and before long both of them were very aware they were essentially pressed up together on one end of the couch. During pauses in play, Laura surreptitiously checked out Bob’s room and was surprised; it was tidy and organized, with a large drafting table against one wall. She wanted to ask about it, but waited until the game was over. Then they both sat back and grinned at each other.

“Why do you have a drafting table?” asked Laura, getting up and wandering over to it. Her thigh still felt warm where it had pressed against his, but she focused instead on the thin pieces of paper attached to the table. Looking closely, she realized they were plans of some kind.

Bob stood and came over. “I use it for planning gardens,” he said. “I found it on the street ages ago and dragged it home.” He gestured. “That’s actually this garden. I was thinking of adding a water feature.” He looked at her. “I’m really lucky, Maggie doesn’t mind if I try new things here, so I get to test out ideas.”

Laura leaned over the plans, noting the mix of symmetry and wilderness, the little symbols becoming clear: circles of all kinds for trees, tiny bushes and pathways, indications of light and shade. “You don’t do this on your computer?”

“Yes,” said Bob, “I do that sometimes, but I like to start by drawing. It gives me time to think about it, if you know what I mean.”