How do you set boundaries for a relationship you can’t even define?
Illustration: J.V. Aranda We were supposed to be taking a group quiz in accounting lab, and the way Erik tells it, I was “being a gigantic nerd.” His bright-blue eyes darted back and forth as he snuck our textbook open on his lap. “You’re going to get us in trouble,” I said through clenched teeth. But our professor didn’t seem to notice.
Around the same time I met Erik, I started dating a tall, good-looking, clean-shaven guy named Mike with dark hair who resembled Bobby from Twin Peaks. A fifth-year senior and finance major from a wealthy suburb, he lived in one of the most expensive buildings on campus. When we were together, I found myself imitating his cockiness, usually to hide my own insecurities that I wasn’t pretty or sophisticated enough.
Being with Erik, on the other hand, was like looking into a rare mirror that revealed both the attractive and unattractive parts, and somehow still left me feeling good about them. After Mike graduated college and moved away, we stayed in a long-distance relationship, but I got to spend the summer with Erik on an empty campus. We ate gigantic burritos at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then held our bulging stomachs groaning about how sick we felt.
The summer after my junior year, Erik hurt his foot playing softball, and since no one was around to help him, he stayed with me. At the time, my apartment had a few roaches that mainly came out at night. There was also a squirrel biting through one of the plastic accordion arms of my window air conditioner. After a weekend spent with Mike in Chicago, I came home to find two beady little black eyes staring at me through a squirrel-sized hole.
After college, I lived in Chicago and remained in an on-again, off-again with Mike, depending on how bored I was with my alternative prospects. One night, Erik and I had gone out to a dive bar down the street from my apartment . He was staying at my place to avoid having to drive back to the West Side where his mom lived. When we got back, buzzed, I set him up on an Ikea couch, which was about as comfortable as folded cardboard. He grimaced.“C’mon, dude,” he said. “Please.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stocks Lose Steam After Fed Vice Chairman Says Economy Needs More SupportStocks finished slightly higher today, but the market cut its gains after Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Richard Clarida warned that the economy would need more support to rebound by skleb1234
Read more »
UFC President Dana White says sports can resume but will 'lose a lot of money'Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White said Tuesday he believes many sports leagues could resume competition but it would come at a price.
Read more »
Elon Musk puts up two Bel Air mansions for a total of almost $40 million - Business InsiderElon Musk appears to be selling 2 of his Bel Air homes for a combined $40 million after declaring he would sell 'almost all' of his physical possessions
Read more »
A Forgotten Robert Downey Jr. Film Will Make You Feel Differently About Quarantine Productivity'The jobs these spirits are saddled with have nothing to do with making lemonade out of the lemons of their circumstances. Instead, they have to mend the places of brokenness inside themselves and between themselves and the world.' oureric writes:
Read more »
Giant cinnamon rolls raise money, feed 'bellies and souls'What began as an effort by Whitney Rutz to cheer herself up ended up lifting the spirits of many others, raising money for thousands of meals and nourishing the “bellies and souls” of health care workers — one giant cinnamon roll at a time.
Read more »