Between Then and Now

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Ryan

I ’ve seen Bonbon laugh with guys before. She had a plethora of boyfriends growing up—Patrick, Wesley, and Greg were a few who stuck around longer. I haven’t seen her with a boyfriend in the past year or so, though. I haven’t even seen her with a male prospect. Until now.

Bon is laughing with John, and it’s not the polite laugh she gives to strangers or acquaintances. It’s her genuine, eyes-crinkling, belly-laughing kind of laugh. Good for her, I think. I’m starting to feel bad that she’s helping me talk to Alexa while she isn’t having fun on her own. Seeing her actually conversing with someone who isn’t me gives me the push to do the same. I turn to Alexa, who is standing a few feet away, chatting with another volunteer.

Taking a deep breath, I walk over to her. “Hey, Alexa,” I say, trying to sound casual. “Got a minute?”

She turns to me, her smile bright and welcoming. “Sure, Ryan. What’s up?”

I pause, suddenly aware of the need to make small talk before diving into the invitation. “Did you see the sunset last night? It was more… purple than the previous ones.” I chuckle nervously, realizing how random it sounds. “I mean, I’ve seen purple sunsets before, but last night’s was, like, extra purple.”

Alexa’s smile widens, revealing her perfect teeth. “I’m surprised you didn’t post it on your very new Instagram,” she teases.

I stare at her, an embarrassed smile forming on my face. “So, you know about that. ”

“I mean, you suddenly went on a follow spree of everyone here, and so far, you only have two photos posted in the past week. One of Bon eating ice cream and another of Bon sleeping with a lizard on her head.” She holds her phone up to my face, showing my Instagram profile.

I chuckle, remembering the time I saw Bon with that lizard. She was taking a nap on one of the benches when a lizard jumped on her head. It stayed there for a while, so I took a photo and then startled her awake, screaming that she had a lizard on her head. She squealed, sat up, and jumped around, trying to get rid of the lizard.

“She seems like a lot of fun, by the way,” Alexa remarks, still scrolling through my profile.

“She is…” I say, trailing off as I try to bring myself back to what I’m trying to accomplish here. “Anyway, about that sunset…”

“Yeah?” Alexa raises her eyebrows.

“I heard the sunset at the café in the town proper will be even more purple this Saturday,” I say.

Alexa chuckles. “Are you asking me out on a date, Ryan Miller?”

“Was it obvious? I was trying to be subtle,” I say sarcastically. Surprisingly, I make Alexa laugh. And with that, she says,

“See you on Saturday. I mean, I’ll see you every day before that, but you know what I mean.” She smiles and walks away to continue her check-ups.

I watch her go, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. It seems like I’ve actually pulled it off.

“Spill the beans, Miller,” Bon says as she enters our room. She’s wearing pastel pink jeans and a white cropped shirt with the words “2 Pretty 4 U” printed on it. She walks over to her bed, dives onto her stomach, props her elbows, and looks at me.

“What beans?” I ask innocently, setting down the book I’ve been reading onto my bedside table.

“You talked to Alexa,” she says matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow inquisitively.

“Oh, that?” I say, shifting my position to sit on the edge of the bed, facing her. “That was nothing. We just talked about sunsets and… I asked her out, and she said yes.” I look at her and grin triumphantly.

“Dude!” She throws a pillow at me, which I catch. “You did it! You actually asked her out. I’m so proud of you.” She raises both her arms in a celebratory gesture, and I can’t deny that my gaze lingers a little at the skin of her stomach that peeks out. Creep . I shake my head to realign my thoughts.

“I gotta be honest, though,” Bon continues. “I thought you’d do it sooner. I mean, we’ve done countless practice sessions on how to approach her, and I thought you’d mastered it. But anyway, I’m glad it finally happened,” she says.

“Yeah, one problem now, though,” I say.

“What’s that?”

“A date lasts longer than one conversation, and I can’t promise not to embarrass myself all throughout,” I say. “I’m not even sure I know what to do. All I said is that we’ll go grab dinner. And then what?”

“That’s easy. I’ll teach you,” Bon says. “We can go on a trial run; you can re-enact everything you want to do without the fear of being judged or turned down or whatever. Then, when Saturday comes, you’ll be ready. ”

“You’re right. That could work,” I say. I ignore the fact that her suggestion makes me feel a tug in my stomach. But I brush it off. This new practice session could help remove all awkwardness with Bon again, and she would go back to being just my friend. “But what if I embarrass myself?”

“Exactly why you need this pre-date date. You can’t embarrass yourself in front of me. I’m a practice-person,” she shrugs confidently.

“Okay. Let’s do that,” I say.

“Alright, let me know when you wanna do it,” she says.

“Tomorrow,” I say immediately.

“A little overeager to date me, Miller?” She chuckles.

“Not eager, just efficient,” I retort. She just laughs it off and then makes her way to the bathroom.

“Not so fast, Bonbon,” I say, grabbing her arm and bringing her back to her bed. “Your turn to spill your beans.”

She looks confused, her brows furrowed. “You were laughing with John,” I say flatly.

“Oh!” she exclaims, realization dawning on her face. “You saw that. That was nothing, really. He just helped me with my equipment and complimented my ability to talk to people.” She shrugs, dismissing it as insignificant.

“And?” I press, unable to hide my curiosity. “You think that’s it?”

“I don’t know, Miller. Maybe yes, maybe no,” she admits with another shrug. “I haven’t really given it much thought. Let’s see where it goes.” With that, she stands up again and disappears into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

As I sit there, memories of Bonbon’s dating life flood my mind, and I vividly remember one evening. She was a senior in high school, and I was already immersed in my pre-med studies. We were having dinner at our favorite local restaurant with our friends. Bonbon was excitedly bragging about her date with Patrick. She was so anxious she barely touched her food, claiming he was going to pick her up in fifteen minutes.

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, Patrick arrived, and Bonbon transformed. She borrowed Emily’s black jacket, let her hair down, and her usually vibrant personality dimmed by several notches. She became quiet and polite, a stark contrast to her usual self. We teased her endlessly about her “alter-ego” whenever she went on dates, and she’d always threaten us if we ever tried to reveal her true, lively nature.

Back then, her dating life was a source of amusement for us, a topic of light-hearted teasing. But now? The thought of Bonbon and John going on a date makes my insides squirm uncomfortably. Maybe it’s just overprotectiveness, a sense of responsibility for bringing her here, or a fear of seeing her get hurt. As her friend, I don’t want anything to jeopardize her happiness. Or perhaps, it’s a pang of jealousy, knowing how hard I struggle with Alexa while Bonbon seems to effortlessly attract attention.

I shrug, trying to shake off the confusing emotions. Whatever this feeling is, I know one thing for sure: teasing her about it is the last thing I want to do.