5. Harrison

A little girl looks back at me, frowning.

“Parents are supposed to stand,” she says, matter-of-factly.

I lean forward. “I’m not a parent,” I whisper, glancing side to side as if to check who else might be listening. “I’m actually from the future but I got sent back into this old guy”s body, shhh.”

Her eyes widen a little, but I don’t think she’s convinced, so I sit back and pretend I don’t see her still staring and try to focus on Arlo.

He’s fidgeting with the neck of his shirt, my shirt. His gaze meets mine, and I mouth, “Breathe” to him. His chest rises and falls slowly three times, and then the woman beside him steps forward.

“Please give a warm welcome to our special guest, Arlo James.” The children and parents clap, and Arlo’s cheeks grow a nice shade of pink. “Today, Arlo will be reading to us his new book, Gordie Goes Bananas. We are the lucky first people to hear the story, so let’s all try to listen quietly, and after the reading, Arlo will be signing any copies you might like to purchase. Enjoy.”

She steps aside, and Arlo lifts the book from his lap. I’m at the back of the seated children, but I can see his hands shaking from here. He turns the book to face the children and glances up, and when his gaze lands on mine, he smiles, and it’s like whatever nervous energy is built up inside him dissipates, and his shoulder relaxes as he turns to the title page.

“Gordie Goes Bananas,” he reads, his voice coming smooth and melodic. He turns the page and glances my way again before reading the next line. He does this at every turn, and it’s almost like he’s reading to me and not a room full of people. The kids laugh at the funny parts, and when the story is done, everyone applauds.

“Wooo,” I cheer, gaining a few looks from both children and parents, but I don’t care. He was amazing. I haven’t spent a huge amount of time around kids, other than my sister”s little monsters, and he had them all captivated. The parents, too. I swear I caught more than one mom checking him out.

I grab a copy and line up with the others waiting to get it signed. It’s a good thing he didn’t break his writing hand, it looks hard enough to turn the page with that cast on let alone write anything. I don’t know what he did to break it, but I remember when it happened, Gordon and I were at lunch, and he got a call from the hospital. He left right away, and when I messaged him later to see that he didn’t need anything, he filled me in on the basics. Brother, broken wrist, all good, was what he replied. At the time, I still wasn’t totally sure they were even real.

Arlo spots me in line and shakes his head as I step up to the table.

“You don’t have to wait,” he says.

“Yeah, I do. I paid for this book, I want it signed by the incredibly talented author and illustrator. Can you sign the page with me on it?”

“You bought it?”

“Yep.”

“You know I could have just given you a copy. It would be the least I could do for you driving me out here.”

“I figured this way you had to sign it. Besides, I want you to get paid for your work, not give it away for free.”

“Well, okay then,” he says, taking the book from my hands and flicking to the page where I’m pictured. He signs something, closes the book, and hands it back. “I can call a cab to take me home when this is done.”

“I’m good hanging here,” I say, then walk away before he can argue.

I stroll around in the bookshop, glancing back at the table as he talks with kids and parents. He’s more relaxed now, but his leg is bouncing under the table like it”s focusing his nervousness out of sight. The last parent walks away smiling, and the woman who introduced him earlier places a stack of books down.

“Can you sign the rest of the store copies please?” she asks, her voice picking up into a high pitch that wasn’t there when she did her introduction.

“No worries,” he says, and I shift closer, pretending to look at the books on the shelf in front of me.

“Do you just want the signature, or…”

“You can do whatever you want. You are really talented. Have you always liked to draw?”

He nods and starts signing each book one by one.

“For as long as I can remember,” he replies.

She leans forward on the table.

“I’d love to see some of your other drawings. Maybe you could show me over coffee sometime?” she asks, batting her eyelashes.

Ohhh, she’s hitting on him. How fun.

Arlo’s signature wobbles a little, and he looks up at her.

“Ahh, sorry, I’m actually gay, sooo.”

“Oh, no that’s totally okay, I was just meaning, as like friends, we could maybe have coffee as friends,” she says, but her red cheeks give away her intentions.

“That would be nice,” he replies, finishing off the stack. “You have my number, shoot me a text anytime,” Arlo says, and I can’t help but smile. He’s totally playing it off like she really meant it as friends just so she doesn’t feel embarrassed. It’s sweet, really.

“Ready to go?” I ask, rounding the table.

“Oh, hi, I’m Lori,” she says, holding out her hand for me to shake.

“Harrison. Arlo’s ride, if you’re done with him?”

She blushes deeper. “Oh yes. It was just lovely having Arlo read today, wasn’t it? The children just loved it. Hopefully there’ll be a sequel to Gordie Goes Bananas, and we can have you both back.”

“Hopefully,” I reply, picking up Arlo’s original copy of the book he brought with him. “Ready?” I ask.

He nods, and I follow him out to the truck.

“I think I need a coffee,” he says, and I put our books into the back seat.

“Looks like there’s a cafe open up the street. We can grab food, too, if you’re hungry?”

“Sure.”

When we get to the cafe, I spot a couple of the moms from the reading sitting nearby with their kids.

“We can get takeaway if you like?” I offer, but he shakes his head.

“It’s okay. Look there’s a table by the window free. I can order. You did drive me after all.”

“Sure, I’ll have a grande, upside-down caramel macchiato with extra caramel drizzle, vanilla, sweet cream, cold foam and caramel crunch in the cold foam.”

His eyebrows rise.

“That’s not a coffee order.”

“Totally is, too.”

“It’s not, but do you want anything to eat? I’m getting a bagel.”

“Cinnamon Coffee Cake, please. I’ll go grab the table.”

I have no idea if he’ll remember my order right, but as long as it’s coffee and caramel I’ll devour it just fine. The sun has warmed the seats by the window and throws a soft glow over the table.

“Shouldn’t be too long, I gave them your name. Could you grab the tray when it’s called?” Arlo asks, taking a seat.

“Sure, I was going to suggest that, after, well…” I glance at my shirt, and he rolls his eyes.

“I swear it was your driving that was the real cause. I can’t believe I just read my book to a room full of strangers.”

He pulls his hair out of the tie at the back of his head and lets his hair fall to frame his face.

“You were amazing, the kids and parents all loved you.”

“I really have you to thank. After reading to you back at Gordon’s I just kept imagining that”s what I was doing, and every time I looked up, there you were, a giant in a bright baseball shirt, smiling my way.”

My face warms at the compliment. They call my name, and I grab our order. My caramel macchiato looks delicious, and when I take the first sip, I can’t help but make a hmm noise. Arlo chuckles.

“Good then?”

“Amazing.”

“So I was thinking, and you can totally say no, but if you don’t have plans tomorrow, do you think I could get you to come along to another reading?”

He’s giving me a half smile, one corner of his lips picked up, and it’s fucking adorable as hell. No, not adorable. You can’t be thinking Gordon’s little brother is adorable. He’s off-limits. But he is adorable, and he needs your help. Gordon would want you to help his little brother, wouldn’t he? It’s just helping. That’s it.

“Sure. You provide the coffee afterward, and I’m happy to do this as many times as you want.”

He bounces a little in his seat, smiling wide before taking a bite of his bagel, but when he puts it down, his elbow knocks the spoon by his coffee and sends it flipping in the air, and when he tries to grab it, he bumps the table with his cast, sending his coffee sideways. I grab my cup and plate, pushing my chair back just in time to watch the coffee drip over the edge between my legs, narrowly missing my lap.

Phew.

“Sorry,” he says, grabbing napkins to soak up the coffee from the tabletop. One of the staff arrives a second later with towels and a mop, and we stand. “I can clean it, and we can go. I’ll just need a bag for my bagel if it’s not covered in coffee, too,” Arlo explains, but I shake my head.

“We’re not going,” I begin, and the young woman interrupts to agree.

“It’s okay, really. I’ll have it cleaned up in a jiffy, and the barista is already making you a new coffee.”

Arlo’s cheeks are flame red, and he’s folded his arms over his chest like a shield of protection.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“They’re sure,” I say, putting my coffee and plate down on a nearby table and pulling out my chair further so she can get to the floor.

When it”s all cleaned and we sit again, the barista arrives with another coffee and bagel.

“I can’t believe I just did that,” he says, all the while his gaze is locked on the new coffee in front of him. “They should have brought this one in a sippy cup.”

“You knocked the table with your cast. It’s not like you meant to do it.”

“You don’t get it. This is what happens all the time. Did Gordon tell you how I did this?” he asks, holding up his casted hand.

“No.”

“I was walking in my own living room, tripped on my own feet, and fell onto my hand. I broke two fingers and my wrist. There”s metal in there now.”

“Cool. So are you part cyborg now, orrrr.”

He smiles for the first time in what feels like hours. “Actually, yes, I mean to be a cyborg, you technically just have to be made up of both biological and mechanical parts.”

He picks up his coffee and takes a sip, the embarrassment lifting, and the relaxed happy Arlo slowly returns.

He widens his eyes making a “mmmm mmmm mmm” noise like he’s just thought of something, and I wait as he sits his coffee down slowly and pulls out his phone.

“They’re doing a Terminator movie marathon thing at the old theater in two weeks. I could get us tickets. It can be my thank you for taking me to readings.”

He turns his phone to face me, a wide grin on his lips. I don’t answer right away, mostly because I’m trying to figure out if Gordon is going to try to whip my ass if I say, yes, and he finds out I’m going to the movies with his little brother. The longer I take though, the quicker his smile starts to fall.

“I’ve totally geeked out on you now, haven’t I?”

I laugh. “No it’s not that. I was just thinking of…what I have on then, but there’s nothing. Let’s do it.”

“Really?”

“I mean, as long as you agree number two is the best.”

“Oh, yeah. Eddie Furlong all the way. Second only to Genisys, but I really only like that one because you get to see Jai Courtney naked.”

His cheeks blush like he didn’t mean to say that part out loud.

“I think that”s the reason we all watched that one,” I say.