Bringing It All Up Again

Evie

He held my hand as we made our way from one animal exhibit to the next. He was saying all the right things and smiling and was acting perfectly normal. That was what bugged me.

He was too normal. He wasn’t being his usual self. I could feel him trying too hard to be the normal guy. Xander was naturally reserved, but just then, he was being very—for lack of a better word—normal.

“Something to drink?” he asked with a friendly smile. That was when I knew something was definitely not okay.

“Yes, please.”

I stood to the side while he got in line to get the sodas. I spotted a small table in the shade and took it over. When he turned to look for me, I waved my hand to get his attention. He carried the drinks and sat down. Again, I could see there was something on his mind.

“Hot?” he asked.

“It’s not too bad. What about you?”

“Fine.”

I sipped on the soda before I decided the best way to find out what was on his mind was to ask him directly. “How are you? Like really, how are you?”

He fro