They Call It Heart

Chapter 14, The Mom Advice

Amalia

"Erik, would you date another girl if you cared about someone else?" I ask as I pour two bowls of cereal for us.

He sets the plate of toast he made on the table, sits, and pours some milk. "You mean if I was dating someone, would I cheat on her?"

"No. If you weren't dating her but wanted to be with her and someone else wanted to go out with you, would you?"

He pushes the milk toward me. "If I felt that way about her, why wouldn't I be going out with her?"

"Maybe she doesn't know how you feel about her, or maybe she's interested in someone else." I thud the milk carton down on the table with too much vigor. "I. Don't. Know. Erik. Pick a reason."

He knocks his spoon against the table, deliberating, and sighs. "It all depends. If I liked her, I might go out with someone else if she wasn't interested in me. I don't know. Everybody I was ever interested in always liked me, too. I probably wouldn't even like her if she didn't like me."

He made it sound so simple, so cut and dry.

Erik glances over as Jaxon traipses into the kitchen, heading straight for the refrigerator. "Jaxon," he calls out. I glare at Erik, shaking my head, preferring to keep our conversation between us, but he misses my signal. "If you were crazy about a girl, would you date another one you weren't that into? Ama wants—"

I kick Erik under the table.

"Ouch! What'd you do that for?"

Jaxon rotates toward us, taking a gulping swig of orange juice from the carton. "Gross, Jaxon, don't put that back in the fridge," I say, glaring at Erik and claiming I kicked him by accident while attempting to signal with my eyes again.

He refuses to take the hint. "Would you date another girl if you really wanted someone else?" he asks.

Jaxon plunks down on a chair and pours himself a bowl of cereal. "It all depends."

"My sentiments exactly," Erik says, smirking. "It depends on the situation we're dealing with."

"Yep, it does. Take me and Mara, for instance. I want to be with her, but she's not around here anymore."

Jaxon's comment surprises me. I thought he and Mara were doing fine. He didn't go out with anyone else after she left and didn't seem to have a problem with it. Girls always called him, but I only saw him ecstatic while talking to Mara.

"Yes, but you haven't been dating anyone else," I say.

"I know. To tell you the truth, I don't know how long I'll keep that up."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. It's not like you'll die if you don't go out with anyone."

He arches a brow. "I just might. I mean, I wish Mara was here, but she's not, and there isn't a damn thing I could do about it."

"School's almost out, though. I thought she was coming back for the summer?"

His casual facial expression and breeziness disappear. "Mara doesn't know if she'll get to come back here. Her dad's retiring, and her parents want her to travel with them this summer. I just don't think it's working anymore."

I see how much it's affecting him that he and Mara are drifting apart. It's not like him to be so pessimistic, and despite all the teasing and arguing between Jaxon and me, I can't bear it when he's down.

"Lately, it's gotten so hard to have a decent conversation with her over the phone. It's like we search for things to talk about. The silences are getting longer, and the phone calls are getting shorter and further apart."