It wasn’t like I’d been celibate since Angie and I had split up. I’d tried every dating app imaginable. But no relationship had ever really gotten off the ground. They either fizzled after the first couple of dates, or were purely physical for a hot second before one of us called it off. And I’d never really wanted anything serious, anyway, especially not right after my divorce. But now something in me felt open to it.

She shrugged her arms as she hustled along. “I mean, no. What even counts as weird these days, anyway? I met Lola in a bathroom.”

We kept moving in the darkness, the park pulsing around us. The sound of a concert thumped from the southern side, and bikes whizzed by with the efficiency and speed of a hummingbird.

“And, look, I get why it’s easier to have a casual relationship right now.” Her voice was lower, more hesitant. “With work being what it is. But it’s okay to want to get to know someone first. To have a connection.”

But the word connection only made me think about Franny again, and the weird electric energy I felt pass between us. Every time I was near her, it felt like the words got stuck in my mouth and came out all scrambled, and yet I kept wanting to be around her more.

“Serena’s great,” I said, a reminder to myself more than anything. “Her job’s also hectic, so really we get each other. We have a lot in common.”

“That’s awesome,” Perrine said, shooting a smile in my direction as we kept running.

“Things with Lola are going well, though?” I asked, eager to get the spotlight off me.

“So good.” She looked at me with giant saucer eyes, lit up by the streetlamps dotting East Drive. “I mean, we’ve only been dating for a little over a month, but I really like her. I think I’m falling in love with her, honestly.”

Before I could respond, she asked, “Sprint to Eighty-Sixth Street?”

And we were off, chasing that final bit of endorphins, the last call of a long day.

Perrine dashed to the Reservoir, stopping at the edge and bending over to catch her breath, her hands on her hips.

“Wow, Perr,” I said when I’d caught up with her. “That’s a big deal.”

“It is.” She flopped down on the grass, legs butterflied in front of her. “But it also feels like not a big deal at all. It’s weird, you know? You just, like, suddenly realize this could be it, and then everything feels easy.”