*This scene takes place the day after Chapter 34 in which Jimmy’s ex shows up to clear his stuff out of the apartment. I ultimately decided to go with the pumpkin patch scene for Chapter 35 instead, but I like to imagine that this conversation between TJ & Gram still took place at some point!*
TJ
“You think if you keep looking at that phone, a message will magically appear?”
I looked over at Gram who had taken a seat next to me on the couch. “How do you know I’m waiting for a text? I could have just been checking the time.”
“Were you just checking the time?” She raised her eyebrows pointedly.
I flashed her a grin. “Nah, you’re right. I texted Jimmy a while ago and haven’t heard back.”
“It’s Friday night. I’m sure the boy has better things to do than sit around texting you all night.”
“Wow.” I placed my hand over my heart in mock outrage. “That’s harsh coming from my own grandmother.”
“The truth is the truth.” Her face softened. “How’s he doing?”
I’d stayed with Jimmy through lunch yesterday and then had come home to check on Gram before needing to get to the dance studio. I’d filled her in on the basics of Jimmy’s situation. “He texted me at lunch today, but I haven’t heard from him since. Sounds like he was back at school today. He said it was a good distraction.”
“That’s good. So what are you worried about?”
“I don’t know if worried is the right word. I just…It hurts to see him like this. I feel so helpless.”
“I know, baby. But Jimmy’s strong. He’ll bounce back.”
“I know. I just wish there was something I could do.”
“You’re already doing it. You’re being his friend.”
“I don’t know. Would a friend tell someone he was still into him just hours after he broke up with his ex?”
She chuckled. “Boy, you don’t do anything halfway, do you?”
“I’m not known for that, no,” I said, tone dry. “I wonder who passed along that trait?”
“Your mother, obviously.”
We laughed, knowing full-well that I’d gotten my tendency to be a little extra from her. “Seriously, though, I just don’t want to put a bunch of pressure on him. He doesn’t need me breathing down his neck while he’s still trying to process his break up. Even if the break up was absolutely the right thing to do.”
“I think you should trust Jimmy to tell you what’s right for him. I’m not saying you should send him flowers and ask him on dates just yet, but I also don’t think you need to avoid him, either. Just be a friend and it’ll either evolve from there, or it won’t.”
I’d avoided him last time in an effort to give him space and all it had done was cause confusion and frustration on both of our parts. I’d determined then that I couldn’t be anyone other than who I was. Diminishing myself had only done both of us a disservice. Gram was right. While he didn’t need me pressuring him to go on dates, he did seem to need a friend, and I was pretty sure that was something I could handle. And if he needed me to back off, then I needed to trust him to let me know.
“Thanks, Gram. You always have a way of putting things in perspective.”
“You don’t get to be eighty-five without learning a few things. Speaking of which, I think your mom was about to light the candles on my cake. We better go find her before she burns the house down in the process.”
<<Scene unfinished>>>