Free Wanderlust by Thea Dawson

wanted me out. I nodded encouragingly, hoping he’d just spit it out.
    “And I don’t want just kick you out or anything, but you’ve been talking about heading back to the east coast, so we were wondering if that was still your plan.”
    Okay, so he wanted me out.
    I took a deep breath. “Ah, yeah. Yeah, I’m still planning on leaving. I, uh, just am not sure exactly when. I’m still trying to tie a few things up here.” I couldn’t quite bring myself to say I was still hoping that I’d be fired—and therefore eligible to collect unemployment benefits, or maybe even a halfway decent severance package. I paused, not ready to commit myself to anything. “When’s Kim’s lease up?”
    “February 28 th .”
    About six weeks.
    “I don’t want to rush you, man.” Matt clearly felt guilty. I was on the lease until June, so I wasn’t under any obligation to move out.
    But maybe this was the kick in the pants that I needed. After all, one of the reasons I’d been hanging on in hopes of a severance package was to cover the last few months of rent if Matt couldn’t find a new roommate. So in a sense, this was really a stroke of luck. But it meant making some big decisions very quickly.
    “Yeah, I could be out of here by then.”
    “You sure? I mean, if you need more time, Kim could just move in and you could keep staying here as long as you needed to.”
    The thought of being stuck in a small apartment with a couple of newly engaged lovebirds was almost as unappealing as moving back in with my dad. “Thanks, but I need to get my ass in gear and get out of here anyway. This is a good incentive.” I nodded, trying to reassure both of us.
    Matt was clearly relieved. “That’s great, man. Sounds like it’ll work out for everybody. Thanks for understanding.” He turned back toward his bedroom.
    “Hey, you and Kim want to join me for a beer?” I asked, opening the refrigerator door again.
    “Thanks, man, but I’m going to get a shower. We’re going to go out. You know, celebrate.”
    “Of course. You totally should.”
    I waved him off and scanned the contents of the fridge briefly. I immediately regretted not having picked up some take-out from the Chinese place down the street. Cooking was not my forte. I scrounged through the fridge and found some leftover pasta and a jar of marinara sauce. I dumped them into a bowl and put it in the microwave. I opened a beer and called my dad.
    I got voicemail. “Hey, Dad.” I hesitated. He’d been asking for weeks if I wanted the job or not. This was my chance to commit. After all, I had to go somewhere; it might as well be home. But I couldn’t quite do it. “Hope everything’s okay. Just give me a call whenever. Love you.”
    I flipped open my laptop and slurped my pasta while I studied the Silver Basin Spa’s website and began thinking of ways to structure a marketing proposal. Matt and Kim waved at me on their way out, looking all glowy and in love. After they were gone, I remembered that I should have shown some enthusiasm, asked to see the ring and all that bullshit. But the last thing I wanted right now was to have to look at another engagement ring.
    I opened another beer and began looking over the Silver Basin Spa’s website. I took a few notes on things they could do to bring in more customers, and began outlining an initial email to the owner.
    On my cold and miserable journey home, I had made up my mind not to get in touch with Monica again. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see her again—I actually did. But Chip was right: it wouldn’t take much to fall for her all over again.
    Partly, I felt awkward. I still owed her some kind of explanation for Amber—not that I could explain, because I couldn’t actually remember why I’d thought it would be a remotely good idea.
    But also, a part of me felt inadequate. If that rock on her finger was anything to go by, her fiancé must be doing pretty well for himself. I felt like a loser in comparison. I