Chapter 9

Wes sat in the middle of the couch this time, flipping through a textbook while Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” played softly on the stereo. He looked up when I stepped into the room. “Hey.”

“Hey.” I plopped into the arm chair and reached for my laptop. I could scroll through Facebook or readan e-book if Wes wanted to study.

After a few minutes, I glanced up at the soft thud of Wes’s book being placed on the coffee table. He sat back and smiled, and my heart skipped a beat. “I was thinking I’d like to do something fun this weekend before my life turns hectic. I googled what was in the area, but I’d love to hear what you recommend.”

“You can join me and some of my friends if you want. A couple bars run trivia games, one has karaoke—and no, I don’t sing, but it’s fun to watch. One has stacks of board games set out for people to play, another has pool tables and video games. Sometimes we go out dancing. We mix it up…they’re all fun. You can make the call.”