You, I thought I knew you

 

"I don't know what I'm getting into." Nori needed someone to talk to, and there was only Mel who came over as soon as Nori called her.

"What happened?" Mel was a little alarmed. 

"I'm sorry." She pressed her lips tight and reached in the fridge to get out the jug of cold water. Perhaps she needed a drink more than Mel did.

"I don't know what's gotten into Jared." She told her about his phone call, in which he expressed his desire to move in with her. "What brought that on?"

"Well, he is a guy and he's from England, maybe they just want to get on with things," Mel practically smiled about it. "I thought you liked him."

"I do. I think." She winced. "He's sexy. I mean... it's like he doesn't even know it, and that makes him even more attractive. And yeah, I am attracted to him, but I just don't want it to be some bad mistake, you know." She paced in her kitchen, feeling miserable. "A part of me wants to make him happy, but what if we regret it?"

"OK," Mel sighed with a shrug as she sat on a stool at the dining bar. "I get it, I do. You're being sensible."

"I don't want to lose him, but what if it was never right from the start? Maybe he's just looking for, I don't know. Someone to sleep with." Nori looked grim about it. She didn't sign up for something easy. But she was beginning to realise they did want different things in a relationship, evidently.

"You know, how I am. I want someone I can walk my dog with. Just, you know, cooking together, going to book stores and-"

"And protests, you got him to go with you." Mel reminded her.

"I should have asked him. It was just a last-minute thing. I found out about it and wanted to go, and he didn't no." Nori told her as she went to the fridge to find leftovers of the potato soup she'd made over the weekend. 

"Remember last year when you thought you found Mr. Perfect on that dating app?" Mel gave her a serious look. "He was all those things you wanted, but you were bored to death."

"Don't remind me," Nori's soured wince said it all. She went to heat up the soup in the microwave. 

"You two have to talk it out. Don't be afraid. Speak your mind. Tell him everything." Mel sounded as if she knew it all.

"What about you and Kevin?"

"I think he's afraid of me, even if she says he's not." Mel went to find them a bottle of chilled wine in the fridge and started to toast some French bread.

"Well, don't make him so afraid."

Nori checked on the soup. It needed more time to heat.