Her face lights up. “I like you too, Jake.” She laughs modestly at her lap.

I’m going to try to say things more as they occur to me. To turn my positive thoughts into positive energy.

I’m glad I came out to her, but I’m still afraid of what happens next. What will Mom think? Can I walk into a room and just say it out loud, and not fear what might happen? It still doesn’t feel all the way comfortable. But I owe it to myself to stand up to things that scare me, and I’ll get there.

After we gobble down the lunch, we go back to the walls. She’s happy to have me here, getting into something she’s passionate about. I can tell by her aura, which waves behind her as she starts to climb, in a cape of yellows, blues, and greens. Like the sky, the ocean, and the earth.

I gear up for a more intermediate level—a 5.6—and get to climbing. Stuck in the middle, the next grip reveals itself to me, farther than I think I can reach.

“You got this, Jake!” Fiona calls behind me.

And for once in my life, I believe it.

Jake

ME: Hey, can we see each other soon?

ALLISTER: Glad to see you’re, um . . . alive! Lol.

ME: Sorry to leave you hanging. Lots to explain.

ALLISTER: I have a lot of time.

ME: So, when are you free?

ALLISTER: Like I said, I have a lot of time.

ME: Time in general, or time for me?

ALLISTER: Time for you. I do have a life, you know. But yes, if you want to talk, I would love to listen.

ME: Sorry to just ghost you for days.

ALLISTER: You apologize too much. You have a life too.

ME: I know. Trying not to be so sorry for everything.

ALLISTER: So, where’s it gonna be? You pick the place. I picked the last place.

ME: . . .

ALLISTER: Make up your mind, Jake! No more indecisiveness!

ME: Do you like burgers?

ALLISTER: Love them.

ME: How about Infinity Burger in Little Five Points?

ALLISTER: Count me in. What time?

ME: . . .

ALLISTER: Now? Sounds great! Just need to shower and get dressed. Be there in an hour.

Infinity Burger is as any good burger joint should be. The walls are covered in license plates, old advertisements, and photographs of icons from the past—actors and musicians.

I get there first and slide into a booth, where I wait for five, ten, and then fifteen minutes, picking at my nails and leaving shavings on the checkerboard tablecloth.

What if he stands me up? What if he hates me for the way I responded before and this is his revenge?

He lied when he said he’d arrive in an hour, because he’s twenty minutes late.