“I hate those. Whenever I have a bad day, I’m just the worst person to be around—you’ll see. And when my swimming is off? Oof, I do not want to be in your shoes when you get to handle me when that happens. It’s so shitty, isn’t it? People always keep adding to it and making it worse because they keep trying to help, and all you want to do is scream STOP!”

I smiled; it was the least I could do.

“My point is—” he said. “If you’re having a bad day, and you want to be alone, that’s fine. But, if you’re having a bad day and don’t really want to be on your own, that’s fine too.”

“It is?”

“Sure,” he and his dimples said. “But I don’t want to add to it, so just tell me what it is you feel like doing, and we’ll do it—no questions asked.”

“No questions asked?”

“None at all.”

I looked at him for a minute before speaking. “What works for you?”

“Kissing helps a lot, I gotta say. I usually go home, eat donuts, and listen to music until I feel like it’s safe to be around people again, you know?”

“Donuts?” I asked him, taking a sip from my coffee.

“Don’t judge.” He pointed at me.

“Okay. Let’s do that if it’s all right.”

“Sure it is. It’ll either help a lot or not at all.”

I chuckled. “It’s okay,” I assured him, standing up.

“At least we’ll be alone. But, like, together.”

“Sounds good.”

“Come, Tomász. Let’s get you some donuts,” he said as he held the door, and we exited the coffee shop.

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

A Taste of Normal

I did my very best not to let my Super 8 get in the way of us returning to his apartment. I made sure to listen, as attentively as possible, to every little thing he talked about. Every story he remembered, every memory he shared. Thankfully, I could count on him to do most of the talking because the last thing I wanted was to speak. Plus, it helped. Listening to him, watching him as he voiced everything so freely.