Free Catching Whitney by Amy Hale

with Aidan just behind us.
    Caleb insists I take a seat while he sets the table. Aidan orders the pizza and then offers me a beer while getting tea for Caleb. Once the pizza arrives, we enjoy the food and conversation until I notice the time.
    “Oh, dear. I should really go.” I stand, and they both follow my lead. “I’ve had a lot of fun, Caleb. Thanks for teaching me how to slay trolls! And thanks for the great pizza!”
    Caleb beams with pride. “You were starting to get good at it, but it takes practice. You need to come back so we can play again.”
    I should have seen that coming. I look at his angelic little face and realize two things: I can’t tell him no, and, to be honest, I don’t want to. I really did have a great time with them both tonight.
    “Sounds like a plan, little man.” I ruffle his hair, and he gives me a big hug. I can’t help but hug him back.
    “Okay, Caleb, you need to go brush your teeth and get ready for bed. You both have school tomorrow. I’ll walk Whitney out.”
    Caleb says goodbye and bounds down the hallway. Aidan walks me to the door but stops short of opening it for me. “What did you learn today? Is he okay?”
    “He will be. He seems to be lonely. For some reason he’s not making friends as I expected him to, so I’m going to see what I can do to foster that during the school day. He didn’t open up too much, but I think in time he will.”
    Aidan surprises me by placing a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you, Whitney. I owe you. He really enjoyed himself today. I play video games with him often, but it was obvious he needed someone other than Dad today.”
    “I’m glad you called me. I had fun, too. He’s a fantastic kid.”
    Aidan opens the door and slowly walks me to my car. Once we reach the driveway, he puts a hand on my arm. “Can we talk a minute?”
    I feel the panic start to rise in my chest. “We are talking.”
    “You know what I mean.”
    I lean against the driver’s side door. “What do you want me to say, Aidan?”
    “Dammit!” He puts an arm on either side of me, trapping me against my car. “I just want to know why you’re ignoring me. What did I do? Was it the kiss in the fun house?”
    I swallow. I can’t find any words that will accurately explain why I freaked out, or why I continue to be anxious about spending time with him.
    “Fine. I’ll never touch you again. Does that make you happy?”
    It doesn’t, but I don’t know how to explain that either.
    He backs away from me. “Don’t shut me out, Whitney. I won’t touch you. I won’t kiss you. I’ll even try not to think about you, although, I doubt I’ll be successful. But it’s obvious Caleb needs you, and to be honest, I enjoy your company too.” He searches my face, his eyes pleading. “Can we give that whole friendship thing one more try? I promise to be on my best behavior from here on out.”
    My mind is racing with possible answers, but the only thing I can say is, “Friends. Yes, I’d like that.” My mouth has committed mutiny once again.

Monday morning proves to be relatively uneventful. During lunch, I finish up some grading and then, after wolfing down a yogurt and granola snack, I spend a little time on the playground to observe the children. I’m especially interested in interactions with Caleb. Over dinner the night before, I learned that Rebecca is a family friend and that she stays with them during the week. She cleans, does the shopping, and takes care of Caleb after school and when Aidan has to travel for work. At this time, Aidan hasn’t settled into a specific job, but he’s considering taking on a coaching position at the high school. For now, he’s just volunteering his time and feeling out the work environment. He is also the partial owner of a sports complex that opened over the summer which is why he moved here. Small world.
    As for Caleb’s mother, all I know at this point is she passed away when he was only three. Caleb was born premature, which