“Oh.” Flynn tilts his head. “You’re overwhelmed right now.”
“Yes.” The admission fills me with relief.
“Can we keep playing once he leaves?” Flynn asks.
“Y-Yes?” Rose glances from Duncan to Delta.
“That’d be fine, Flynn.”
Flynn drums his fingers on the table. “O-Okay.”
“I’m going to use the washroom.” I stand and make my way to the bathroom Delta pointed out earlier.
“Before you see your beau out, can you help me in the kitchen?” Rose asks.
After taking care of things and washing my hands, I enter the hall and catch a whispered conversation. Recognizing Delta’s voice, I slow to listen.
“You can’t replace one with the other.”
“I’m not trying to, Rose. No two Aspies are the same. They’re affected in different ways, and I met Sam completely out of the blue.”
“And he’s the one you choose to date after spending all that time single?”
“Yes. One. Hello! Look at him. He’s stunning, and we have the same interests. He makes me happy. Isn’t that enough of a reason?”
“I don’t want to see you or him hurt,” Rose sounds worried.
“Neither do I. I’m with Sam because I’m attracted to him from the inside out. We fit well together, and if you can’t see that, it’s your problem.”
“Wow. That’s harsh, Del,” Rose says.
“I don’t want to fight with you, Rose, but I’m not conceding this point. No relationship comes with a guarantee. We both know that. But he likes me too, and we’re figuring things out, the way all new couples do.”
I continue to the table, done listening. Delta defended me without a hint of shame or embarrassment. It was a reassurance I didn’t know I needed. The reason she seems to get me is that she dated someone else with Asperger’s. The pieces of the puzzle lock in together, silencing the doubts my mother had raised with her words. Delta, more than most, knows what she’s in for. I sit down, and the girls reappear not long after.
“Are you ready?” Delta asks.
“Yes.”
“We’ll see you soon, I’m sure,” Duncan resets the board game.
“More than likely.”
“It was nice meeting you, Sam. I hope you’ll come back.” Rose rubs her belly, and I nod.
I don’t know what to think about her. Her words were harsh, and I don’t like anyone upsetting Delta. Her eyes don’t hold their usual sparkle. Her smile is fake.
“Sam.” Flynn’s voice is flat.
“Flynn,” I reply. We might’ve been good friends in a different situation, but I can see now Delta used to be his person. We’re going to have a problem if he can’t accept that things have changed.
“ARE YOU STILL BRINGING your friend to the New Year’s party?” Mom peers at me from over the rim of her mimosa. It’s a monthly thing that we get together for brunch. It’s good publicity and forces my father and me to interact regularly. My mother calls it killing two birds with one stone. Though I could never figure out why anyone would want to do something so barbaric.
I look up from my waffle. “Yes, I told you I was.”
“What your mother is trying to ask you unsuccessfully is how things are going with your lady.”
“Her name is Delta. It’s going really well.” I chew my waffle and swallow before I decide to share. “I went over to her house for game night with her family.”