She shrugged. Looked past him at their reflections standing side-by-side in the mirror. She was five seven, he was at least five ten and still growing. Which had nothing to do with the question, but now that she had the evidence in front of her, she couldn’t stop wondering how tall he’d eventually get. Then she considered his question and thought about lying. About tossing out a smart-ass remark that meant nothing but would make Jack laugh. Didn’t. Didn’t have to deflect away from feelings anymore, not now they were telling each other the truth. “It makes me older. You stay out of this!” Her reflection, beginning to age, shed years so fast it ended up in grade school, front teeth missing, a plastic recorder in one pudgy hand. Jack’s reflection patted her head. “Every time I slip back, I’ve lived more time than you have.” She’d added a few more hours to the total by taking Gary to Nova Scotia.

A snort and a medium-sized puff of white smoke. “I thought after seven years, it didn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t. I just . . .” It didn’t matter. There were no qualifiers attached to not going to happen, but she hated feeling the distance between them widening. Although maybe if it got wide enough, it would solve the whole problem. She could complain about his music, tell him to pull up his jeans, and bake him cookies. Okay, maybe not the cookies. He’d have to really piss her off to deserve that. And she complained about his music now. Electro? Seriously? There was distance enough between them.

“You just?” When she shook her head, unsure of what he was asking, he gave an exaggerated sigh. “They say memory’s the first to go.”

It took Charlie a moment, almost long enough Jack had begun to look unsure, then she laughed and the distance between them closed again. “I can’t remember what it is I like about you right now.”

He shrugged, a dimple flashing. “You keep saying size matters.”

“Only when trying and failing to drag your enormous dragon ass through the Wood.”

“Only then?”

“Bite me.”

“In a just world.”

Charlie heard Truth and she was pretty sure, given Jack’s senses, he could hear her heart pounding, once again, in time with his as the universe said, you’re meant to be together, except for that thirteen-year thing. Oops. As good as the truth felt, running away, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings were a hell of a lot less dangerous than spending time with Jack without the barricade of ignorance between them. Talk to each other? After due consideration, she was going to kick David right in his white-tailed ass. She took a step back. Jack took a step forward.