Other Half
June 14, 2005
The first week of summer break after freshman year, Jason meets his older brother’s girlfriend. Matt’s gone on dates—Jason’s only way of knowing this is the babysitter’s he had to deal with when he was younger—but Matt has never brought home anyone for Jason to meet.
Maybe it was because Jason was so young; he would have been easily attached to anyone Matt introduced. Or maybe it was because none of the women Matt dated were his soul mate.
When Jason wakes up at eleven in the middle of the week, he’s not expecting anyone to be home. He walks downstairs in his boxers, eyes still adjusting to the bright light when he drops the cordless phone he was holding. The back of it pops off and the batteries go flying across the floor.
“Who the heck are you?” Jason demands, staring at the dark-skinned woman sitting at the breakfast bar.
“I’m Lindsay,” she says, smiling at him. She puts the book down that she was reading. “You must be Jason.”
“Um,” Jason says. He feels so naked in just his boxers. “Yeah, are you Matt’s girlfriend?”
“Yep,” she answers and picks her book back up. After a moment she glances up at him. “There’s leftover pancakes in the fridge.”
“Oh, cool,” Jason says. He opens the refrigerator and grabs the plate with two pancakes sitting on it. As he waits for the microwave, he runs upstairs and pulls on a t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. On his way back into the kitchen, he grabs the pieces of the cordless phone and puts it back together. He presses the talk button just to make sure it still works.
“Sorry for scaring you,” Lindsay says as he sits at the other end of the breakfast bar.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone. Matt doesn’t have people stay over. Or at least, I’ve never seen them,” Jason comments as he drenches his pancakes in syrup.
Lindsay doesn’t respond, just turns the page in her book. Both her wrists are bare and Jason can’t see any names written on her skin. She sighs. “I don’t have a name.”
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be weird about it,” Jason tells her. “I just... Matt’s wrist says Yuri and you said your name is Lindsay.”
Lindsay pats him on the shoulder. “Sometimes people date other people who aren’t their soul mate.”
“Well, yeah. But Matt’s almost thirty. I just thought adults didn’t really do that.”
“Some adults don’t care about that type of thing. They just want to enjoy the people they know love them, even if they can’t find the people who’re supposed to be their soul mates,” Lindsay explains. She shrugs slightly. “If you’re happy, it shouldn’t matter.”
“Yeah,” Jason says. “I guess that makes sense.”
She smiles and rolls her eyes. “Do you guess that those pancakes were good?”
Jason nods. “They were really great. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, Matt said you could have someone named Noah over, but only if you cleaned your room.”
Jason groans, but puts his dishes in the sink and slinks upstairs to clean his room before calling Noah.
Maybe it was because Jason was so young; he would have been easily attached to anyone Matt introduced. Or maybe it was because none of the women Matt dated were his soul mate.
When Jason wakes up at eleven in the middle of the week, he’s not expecting anyone to be home. He walks downstairs in his boxers, eyes still adjusting to the bright light when he drops the cordless phone he was holding. The back of it pops off and the batteries go flying across the floor.
“Who the heck are you?” Jason demands, staring at the dark-skinned woman sitting at the breakfast bar.
“I’m Lindsay,” she says, smiling at him. She puts the book down that she was reading. “You must be Jason.”
“Um,” Jason says. He feels so naked in just his boxers. “Yeah, are you Matt’s girlfriend?”
“Yep,” she answers and picks her book back up. After a moment she glances up at him. “There’s leftover pancakes in the fridge.”
“Oh, cool,” Jason says. He opens the refrigerator and grabs the plate with two pancakes sitting on it. As he waits for the microwave, he runs upstairs and pulls on a t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. On his way back into the kitchen, he grabs the pieces of the cordless phone and puts it back together. He presses the talk button just to make sure it still works.
“Sorry for scaring you,” Lindsay says as he sits at the other end of the breakfast bar.
“I wasn’t expecting anyone. Matt doesn’t have people stay over. Or at least, I’ve never seen them,” Jason comments as he drenches his pancakes in syrup.
Lindsay doesn’t respond, just turns the page in her book. Both her wrists are bare and Jason can’t see any names written on her skin. She sighs. “I don’t have a name.”
“Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be weird about it,” Jason tells her. “I just... Matt’s wrist says Yuri and you said your name is Lindsay.”
Lindsay pats him on the shoulder. “Sometimes people date other people who aren’t their soul mate.”
“Well, yeah. But Matt’s almost thirty. I just thought adults didn’t really do that.”
“Some adults don’t care about that type of thing. They just want to enjoy the people they know love them, even if they can’t find the people who’re supposed to be their soul mates,” Lindsay explains. She shrugs slightly. “If you’re happy, it shouldn’t matter.”
“Yeah,” Jason says. “I guess that makes sense.”
She smiles and rolls her eyes. “Do you guess that those pancakes were good?”
Jason nods. “They were really great. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Oh, Matt said you could have someone named Noah over, but only if you cleaned your room.”
Jason groans, but puts his dishes in the sink and slinks upstairs to clean his room before calling Noah.
♥ ♥