You Can't Run by Hope Davis (pdf e book reader .TXT) 📕

rubbing her chin melodramatically. “The math doesn’t quite add up there Einstein.” She pivoted, and made it clear she expected a more thorough answer.

“You’re right.” He simultaneously smiled and sighed. “Well about two and a half years ago, before I was single, I dated the same woman for six years.”

“Six years and no marriage?” Even for someone who was as hesitant to commit as Naya, that was a bit long to only date.

“That’s what she said.” He checked his blind spot and merged over to the right lane, clearly planning to get off the highway. Naya looked around and spotted a suspiciously tall plastic volcano.

“You didn’t want to marry her?” Trying to get answers out of Kevin felt a little too much like an interrogation to her, it was starting to get on her nerves.

He seemed to sense her shift in mood and rushed to fill in the rest of the story as they parked.

“We met when we were in our early twenties and fresh out of college. Honestly, the first few years we were together, we were both working so hard towards our careers we rarely saw each other. I mean, we were together, but I personally feel like our relationship didn’t get serious until three years later, but she didn’t see it that way. So, three years later she got mad at me for not marrying her, and I just didn’t feel ready. She couldn’t understand that, she thought because she was ready that I automatically should be too for some reason. And I wasn’t.” He shut off the car and looked at her directly in the eyes, “And I’m the type of guy where when you try to force me to do something I will pull as hard as possible in the opposite direction. Or at least I was then.”

“I understand.” Naya answered seriously as they stepped out of the car. She quickly spotted the sign for adventure golf. She should’ve guessed.

“I did date a bit afterwards. But six years, well,” He reached down and grabbed her hand and began leading her towards the entrance. “I couldn’t get over it. I still loved her, and I had really wanted it to work out. And I couldn’t let it go and it encroached on any other relationship I tried to start.”

They got in line behind a couple of families and Kevin lowered his voice to just above a whisper. “And so finally I just accepted I wasn’t ready yet.”

“And now?” Naya stared him directly in the eyes.

“I’m ready now.” He smiled as they moved forward a spot in line, they were two from the front now.

“What changed?”

“That day you walked in the living room and I first laid eyes on you.” He leaned in so close their faces were almost touching.

“Are you messing with me?” This sounded like something straight out of a romance movie. They moved forward a spot and were now next in line.

“No I’m not.”

“You didn’t seem that enamored by me then.” She pointed out.

“I hide my emotions well.”

The cashier called them forward and Kevin quickly paid for two rounds of golf.

“And now you pick your favorite color ball.” The cashier motioned to the paper taped to the desktop and Naya leaned over to have a look.

“I’ll take orange I think.” The young cashier reached under the counter and handed her a neon orange golf ball.

“I’ll do the lime green, please.” Kevin collected his golf ball and then handed her a miniature golf club. “Shall we?” He motioned to the path, which was outlined with lights, leading to the park with a big sign labeled ’Hole 1’ directly in front of them.

He waited for her to go first. Naya leaned down and lined up her ball on one of the divots in the mat. The first hole seemed pretty easy, well it was putt-putt so it was relative, but it seemed much easier than whatever level had the volcano she had spotted on their way in.

As she aligned herself with the ball and got ready to swing, Kevin interrupted her. “I believe it’s your turn.”

Naya hit the ball, watching as it landed near the hole but not quite making it in. She would score a two for this hole for sure. “I just went.”

He shook his head. “No, I mean you’re turn to tell me why someone as beautiful, smart, and accomplished as you is single.”

She shrugged as he got ready to take his shot. “I was so focused on my career for so long, I mean, I had boyfriends here and there, but in a town like La Junta they all wanted to settle down right away and have kids, and that just wasn’t in the cards for me.” His ball landed near where hers had and they made their way over. She lined up her ball and lightly putted it directly into the hole.

“I met a man about eight months ago, and things were going well, but then I found out about Vance and there was just no way our relationship was at the point where he would want to move to Denver for me, so we split.”

Kevin putt his ball in, then leaned down and collected both from the cup. “You know La Junta and Denver aren’t that far apart, right? Why not do the long-distance thing?”

She shook her head as they approached the next hole. “Not my thing. I enjoy having free time from my phone when I’m off work. It’s become especially important to me as the years go on and my job relies more and more on electronics.”

“Ah, that makes sense.”

They finished the second hole and moved on to the third. Turns out mini-golf went much quicker as an adult.

“I haven’t mentioned this,” she gestured between them, “To Vance yet, but I assume you did since I