• 1-Struggle For Control
• 2-A fateful accident?
• 3-I Knew You Looked Familiar
• 4-Can I see you again?
• 5-Late Night Conversation
• 6-When did this turn into seeing someone?
• 7-Paranoid, boy?
• 8-Awkwardness and Honesty
• 9-We'll Take It Slow
• 10-I Want...
• 11-You cook?
• 12-Writer's Block?
• 13-Hotel Rainey
• 14-That's Never Real
• 15-Alex Isn't Amy
• 16-I Love Him
• 17-I Think You Know Now
• 18-I'm Ready
• 19-Just Don't Change
• 20-I Just Need Time
• 21-You did what?
• 22-The Dream
• 23-Shooter Returns
• 24-I Missed You
• 25-Playing Hooky
• 26-The Story of John Shooter
• 27-He'll Be Fine
• 28-Therapy
• 29-You Never Have to Ask
• 30-Don't Leave
• 31-Missing a D1
• 32-Shooter and Alex
• 33-Are you O.K.?
• 34-Appointments
• 35-Lovesick Reasoning
• 36-Changes
• 37-I Won't Run Away
• 38-The Truth Comes Out
• 39-Sacrifice
• 40-Past and Present

On Sunday evening, hot water streamed over Mort’s
body – this relaxed his nerves a bit, but not completely. He looked at the clear glass of the shower
door; it was steamed up and he found himself wiping away the thin film with his
hand.

Paranoid, boy?

“I didn’t just hear that,” he said to himself. “Please, God…I didn’t just hear that.” Mort quickly finished showering and toweled
off. He again wiped away steam, this
time from mirror. He ran a comb through
his hair as he studied his reflection.

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I’m sorry, I tried.

“Yeah, well…”
Mort sighed, his body suddenly feeling very weighted. “I think I’m gonna call this off.”

Call it off?
Wait a minute, why call it off?
If you were going to call it off, then I wouldn’t have needed to try to
talk you out of it in the first place.

“Didn’t expect him to show up. You said he wouldn’t.”

I know.
It was just a fluke. He’s trying
to scare you.

“He does scare me!
Every time I hear him…I’m scared shitless.”

One night out. You convinced me it would be O.K., now you have to prove
yourself.

“Keep him away?”

I will.

Still a bit shaken, Mort finished getting
ready. He threw on a pair of pants and
a sweater – the weather had turned colder since Friday. He nervously cleaned his glasses, put them
back on, and walked out the door. Please
let me be the only one going on this date.

***