January 3rd, 2018

I think this is the first time I've actually had the whole day to just be with Hal. I know I spent a lot of time with him yesterday, but that was around work. And we did go tubing just last week, but we were with the others. Today was the first time I've really had all day just with my boyfriend. Of course, lunch was with Max, so maybe not all day. But beyond that...

This morning was just so mundane. He picked me up and we drove around taking care of chores. We visited the bank together, the pharmacy, the gym, and even stopped by the store to get groceries for him. Generally just those few stops takes me all day, give or take other stops I'd need to make. We were done by lunch, which was perfect time to drop me off with Max. And afterward we went back to my place while Dad was at work, and watched the first few episodes of Supernatural while I got my laundry done. He even helped me fold laundry.

Afterward he took me to the university and gave me a tour from his perspective. I'd been there a few times, but the official tours just aren't the same. Hal pointed out his dorm room his first year, and showed me where he'd go to get food. By which I mean not the student cafeteria, but the restaurants in easy walking distance. He pointed out the buildings he'd had classes in and which classes he'd taken. Most of the buildings were locked up of course, but the office buildings where open and staff were there starting to get prepared for the next semester. We even ran into one of Hal's professors from last year, whose name I am sorry to say I've already forgotten.

It was fun and exciting and got me to thinking of my future again. We stopped by the financial assistance building but unfortunately they were out, but I have an email I can try to establish contact with.

Afterward we went back to his place and made dinner and did some of his laundry and watched the next episode of Supernatural.

Who knew the mundane things could be so wonderful?

I did remember to text Candace this morning. She did want to get to the gym with me in the morning, and while she hadn't made any plans she was hoping to get my help with starting to clean out Eli's storage rooms. Going through his stuff and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. I mentioned Hal and she said he'd be more than welcome to come over and help. Having some muscle around would probably be useful. And he's taller than us both, so he can reach some things that even Candace can't. Hal said he'd be happy to help us, so that should be fun.

As for lunch today, Max finally opened up. She admitted that she hadn't been overly in to Robert, he'd asked her out and he was hot, so she was happy to take him up on it. Mostly though she'd hoped that she might make Sam jealous, and while Robert wasn't as beefy as Sam, he was fairly fit and it allowed her to pretend. Which was how she opened her mouth and moaned Sam's name that night. She suspected he was aware on some level that she wasn't really with him, and their relationship the whole time hadn't been the greatest. He was more than a bit of an ass, and only wanted her around for his own pleasure. She's not one to shy away from pleasure herself, so it's not the first time she'd been in such a relationship, but they do tend to be the most toxic in her experience. All in all, it's good it didn't last, and Max wasn't all that tore up about it.

That said, after Hal and I left on New Years Eve, Candace found an excuse to make herself scarce and it gave Max a chance to be alone with Sam for a while. She said he seemed a bit nervous and distant, like he was scared to engage. But after they talked for a bit she said he relaxed and allowed himself to be curious about her. She'd been asking him about his smithing and he finally asked what she was going to school for. He was curious what it meant to be a film effects editor and how she planned to turn that into a career. Once he did that, Max felt like something fell away and she was finally able to connect with him in a meaningful way.

As I go over this trying to remember our conversation, I think I know what she means. He's pretty open about himself, or at least his work as a blacksmith. But I don't think he's been very open about what he actually does, or his interests. And his interest in me and others has always been limited. He knows I work at the museum, but I don't think he's ever really asked about what I wanted to do or why I was there. In a way, it's like he's never been able to look to the future, to contemplate it. I don't know why, but it is something for him to ask Max about her future. Maybe she'll finally get him out of his shell?

Anyway, tomorrow out to be fun, and Max does want me to probe Sam about his thoughts on her. We'll see him at dinner, but I don't think I'll get much out of him with the others around.

December 31st, 2017

I wish I didn't have work tomorrow. I'd really have liked to stay up with the others for the beginning of the New Year. I don't normally, but then I'm not normally at a party with friends.

Batel's package had arrived yesterday, which since I'd gotten home late I didn't learn about till this morning. Mom and I were able to bundle up everything we wanted to send along with Batel's sweater, so hopefully Efe'll get that soon. Mom was confused about Batel's sweater, saying it was awful. I tried telling her "That's the whole point," but she just didn't get it. She was about ready to send her stuff separately and I had to convince her not to.

While we were working on that, Sam and Candace called up to invite Hal and I over if we didn't already have any plans for tonight, which we hadn't. For all our talk yesterday we didn't talk about what to do for New Years and before that was the tubing party. At the time I told em I'd have to confirm with Hal, which I was able to later. And while they had me on the phone they said Max would be invited as well. I didn't want to say anything about Robert, because of course he was still a sore subject with Sam, so I told them I'd pass along their invite.

Max was thrilled, I think she was feeling a bit lonely for the celebration without Robert. And Hal admitted he didn't usually do anything for New Years either so he hadn't even thought about it. What a mindless pair we make.

So yea, we got together after work, I let the parents knew I'd probably be home late, and we headed over to Candace's. It was just the five of us, nice and cozy and not too crowded.

Actually, it was kind of funny, we ended up pairing off, guys on the couch and girls in the kitchen. At first I hadn't thought much about it, because the three of us were talking about Robert. Max admitted he didn't like the idea of the tubing trip in the first place. But he wasn't about to let Max go alone with two other guys. Never mind that Hal's with me and Sam's Sam. If she was going to hook up with him, they'd have already been hooked up. So he came, and brought his bad attitude with him. She and I were delicate about what had happened that night because of Candace, only to find out she's very perceptive. She thought it was great though, and even encouraged Max to use tonight to try Sam again.

That was about when I realized that we had paired off, 'cause when we looked he and Hal were chatting happily in front of the TV. We suggested playing games, completely unprepared for it. There were a few decks of cards, but neither Max nor I knew of any games beyond Solitaire. Eventually we did find that Eli had an old copy of Clue. Sam admitted that it had been a favorite of Eli's when they were growing up, and he hadn't played it since. So we gathered the boys up and sat around the table, making sure to put Sam and Max next to each other.

Hal was fun, he spent the game acting like he was Prof. Plum, and every time we'd accuse the professor, he'd act like we were accusing him. It had us laughing so hard. Candace was the only one to have to learn how to play, though Max and I had only played it a few times ourselves. But once she picked it up, man she was cut throat. And when Sam figured it out she was furious as soon as he offered his solution saying she was just about to say that. She hadn't even let the rest of us try and disprove him, she just threw her cards up knowing it was the solution.

It was Mrs. White, with the candlestick, in the conservatory.

We did start playing another game, but then I realized how late it was and had to go. Max drove herself, so we left her hoping she might have a better chance to talk with Sam. But Hal was my ride so he needed to get me home.

I could stay up for a bit longer just to say I was awake at midnight, but I'm tired and my bedtime has long since passed. I'm going to be useless at work tomorrow as is.

December 29th, 2017

With New Years coming up, we've been getting fewer total visitors. However, it seems everyone that does show up is showing up as a part of a family group. So while we're not supper busy all day long, we're spending a lot of time processing tickets for each party and it may as well mean we are busy all day long. It's kind of a weird dichotomy. Either way though, time passes. Hal joined me for lunch today, and apologized that he wouldn't be able to pick me up after work. He's got some family in town that were passing through on their own Christmas vacation and they were going to have dinner tonight. But he did want to confirm our conspiracy dinner tomorrow at his place and wanted to know what we should do for dinner.

His suggestion was to order pizza delivery, which always sounds good, but kinda defeats the point of not going out as much to save money. I told him I'd have to talk with Max and see what she wants to do. We could go as easy as macaroni and cheese, or if he wanted the challenge of learning something knew we could try that. I have to admit, planning a dinner at a restaurant is easy. Once you get there that's when you have to pick what you want to eat and if your company doesn't like what you want they can get something else. Planning a dinner for multiple people a day in advance when you don't know what you're going to be in the mood for, that's a whole new ball game. I don't know, it shouldn't be much different from eating at home. This is what Mom made, you don't like it you can go to bed. It's easy though when Mom always makes such good food (love you Mom).

I don't know, but I am going to have to come up with something before he picks me up tomorrow so we can hit the store on the way home. I texted Max asking if she had any suggestions, she still hasn't gotten back to me. I hope everything is okay.

Speaking of Max, so yesterday started out well. We got up and had the continental breakfast that was offered. For being called continental, there wasn't much. The eggs were blah, the pancakes were toasted, the only thing I found desirable was the fruit and yogurt. That's about when it started, Robert made a snarky remark about me "eating like a girl." He just seemed to be in a bad mood all day, and had to take it out on everyone else. Must've woke up on the wrong side of the bed or something.

At first it was just the comment, but he sulked and starred daggers at Sam's back all the way to the tubing hill. He couldn't bother to be thankful, roughly grabbing things out of our hands or insisting on doing things himself. He didn't help with anything, which at first didn't really seem like much 'cause we were renting everything we'd use and didn't need to pack anything out of the SUV. It was more apparent later after the first run down the hill, we'd be helping each other up and passing the inner tubes around. He flat out refused to offer a hand at all.

I caught Max alone when he went off to use the restroom and asked what was up. She said they hadn't slept at all last night. I looked over to her expecting to see a shit-eating grin, but no she just looked exhausted. So I asked if everything was okay, she just shook her head and sighed. I didn't get a chance to pry as Robert showed back up about then. I never did get another chance to catch Max alone, Robert must've known we were talking about him 'cause he made a point after that to never leave her side. And he started giving me dirty looks too. It was like he was on a mission to ruin everyone's day.

The tubing was fun, so much fun! I've been sledding before, and it's similar, but not so hard. On a sled you feel every bump as you hit it. With a tube, it's like riding a big balloon, and about as hard to control. The bumps aren't as sudden and jarring, but the tube'll bounce you right up and if you're not careful it'll bounce you right off. We were laughing and carrying on, and watching the other people having all the same troubles we had. We caught one group as they were coming down, they were holding on to each others legs creating a big chain or train of tubes as they went down the hill together. It looked like a lot of fun, so we tried the same (except for Robert, of course). The first bump we hit, Max loses her grip on Sam. The next bump Candace gets knocked halfway off her tube and almost pulls me off trying to get back on, so I lose Max. Hal was bringing up the rear and lets go of Candace's tube so he doesn't pull it out from under her. Then he tries to get up on his hands and knees while still sliding down the hill, he said later he was trying to help Candace. Either way, he hits another bump which sends him face first into the hard packed snow. He didn't break anything, but today he had a black eye like you would not believe.

Hal sat out the rest of the day after that, which I don't blame him for, but it made me feel bad to keep tubing. He insisted though, didn't want me to miss out on his behalf.

So the next time down Max and I borrow Sam's tube 'cause it's bigger and we go down in it together. Sam followed us down laying over both of our tube's cause he can't fit in just one, with Candace holding on to his legs. Max and I were picking up some speed and hit a bump hard. I got tossed up, but luckily managed to land back on the tube, barely I almost fell through the hole. Max though, she got tossed ahead, she rolled a few times before coming to a stop only to have me run right over her with the tube. It was just so funny, and fortunately she wasn't hurt.

We were laughing and carrying on, but that's when Robert snapped and crossed the line. His laughter at Max was so mocking, it really wasn't funny at all. He said something, like she deserved it, I don't know. It was just hurtful though, and Max bowed her head in shame. That's not like her, and is why I'm worried at all. But Candace, she'd had enough and she let him know and took a step toward him. It's like the whole world went silent so we could all hear him, "Don't touch me, you Bitch!" And then he made to slap her hard. I'm scared to think what'd have happened if Sam hadn't caught his arm.

Sam had come up behind him so quickly it was like he'd appeared there, or was always there. He grabbed Roberts wrist and halted his arm so completely that Robert might've struck solid stone. Robert spun around before any of us could react and had his arm up slug Sam. Robert's bigger than some, but Sam's a mountain in comparison, and I've mentioned before how effortless it is for him to be intimidating. Robert had enough control to stop from actually striking Sam, but he still pushed against Sam for having grabbed his wrist. The net effect was to push himself away, Sam barely budged. Then he stormed off cussing us all out.

We didn't see him till later. I think he finally realized we were his ride home and he'd better shape up. He didn't do a very good job of it, and by then we had all decided we didn't want to spend any more time with him. So when he stepped up from leaning on Sam's vehicle, Sam stopped him and "There's a train leaving in fifteen minutes. If you're quick you can make it, but you're not coming home with us." His tone was commanding, and his body language said he wasn't to be trifled with. Robert stared him down for a moment, making sure were all knew he wasn't scared, and then he hurried off in the direction Sam had motioned. He didn't go quietly, but he was careful enough that we couldn't hear what he was saying.

Max never did explain, though during the ride home she tried to offer an apology. Candace flat out told her that only Robert was responsible for his actions, she had nothing to apologize for. Max was quiet the rest of the way home. As we were pulling in to Candace's, Max asked if Sam would take me home, and apologized explaining she just wanted to be alone for a while. I don't blame her, but like I said I never did get a chance with her alone. Maybe that was the point, she didn't want to talk about it.

Still, I hope she's okay. It's a little concerning that she hasn't texted me back yet, but there's not much more I can do. I told her I was here if she wanted to talk, and if she didn't want to talk I was only reminding her of our get together tomorrow. I'll text her again tomorrow, and let her know that if she doesn't respond I'll be calling just to make sure she's there. She doesn't have to talk if she doesn't want, but she needs to at least let me know she's okay.

Anyway, it's late now, and I have work tomorrow.

December 28th, 2017

I am so tired, and sore. Today was a lot of fun, well except for Robert being a complete douche. I'm still not sure what caused him to get so riled up, but I'm glad we could have him take the train home. I did not want to ride home with him afterward.

It was a long day, which wasn't helped that I didn't get a lot of sleep last night. Don't take that to mean that Hal and I were making like rabbits all night long. I mean, we did, just not all night long. I just couldn't get to sleep with him next to me. It was comfortable, and comforting, but I guess it's something one has to get used to. Every time he moved, or took a deep breath, or murmured, or whatever, it'd wake me up. I was hyper aware of his body and everything he did the whole night long. My whole body was.

So no, I didn't get any sleep, nothing worthwhile.

But I did have fun, and I wanted to make sure to say something in my journal before I went to bed. I'll just have to update on the events tomorrow after work. For now, I need sleep.

December 27th, 2017

Here I am, sitting in a hotel room in Fraser. I haven't spent many nights in hotels, once with the family when we went to visit Aunt Isra for Eid al-Fitr. The other two times were with class trips, and I was put in a room with other girls. Tonight, it's just Hal and me.

This morning was a rush to get my chores done, mostly laundry. There were a few things, like hitting the gym, that I didn't worry about. But some stops I needed to make, and so when Max was ready she came by and helped me get around so I wasn't waiting on buses. But I got together an overnight bag, and made sure I had warm clothes. After we made my stops, Max brought me to pick up Robert before meeting the others at Candace's.

Something seems up and I'm a little worried about Max. We were doing fine, but as soon as Robert joined us the car went silent. It made me anxious, and I wanted to break the tension, but I couldn't bring myself to speak. I'm not sure what's going on, and I haven't had a chance all day to talk to Max alone. Either way, once we arrived at Candace's, Max was out the door and happy as ever.

Sam did borrow his parents SUV, and it had enough room for all six of us and our things. I hate to admit it, but I expected Candace to have a ton of luggage. I was surprised to find she had fewer things than me. Hal was already there and had been helping Sam get everything together. Those two seem to have really hit things off lately, and despite them going behind my back to spend all this money on us, it's nice to see them working together.

Once we were loaded up, Sam called out a last bathroom break before we hit the road. It seemed reasonable enough to me, but Robert scoffed and remarked that we weren't children. Max told him to stuff the attitude or he could walk home. It shut him up, but they didn't talk all the way here.

Hal made sure they didn't drag down the trip though and made sure to keep everyone's spirits up. He had asked me to make sure to bring music, which I was all too happy to do. He asked Sam a lot of questions about smithing and especially what he's done with the Renaissance Fair. He even got Max talking about her studies and working toward becoming a nurse. He tried asking Candace about herself, and I noticed Sam look toward her. I realized suddenly that Hal didn't know Candace had amnesia. But whatever worry Sam had, Candace turned on her charm and got Hal talking about himself instead.

Not to suggest Hal is a narcissist, but he does enjoy talking about his area of study and what he does at the museum. But he also enjoys working for the Illuminati, so I paid close attention for when his story would turn in that direction. It inevitably did, and knowing it was coming I used the chance to change the subject. It was a risk, but at the moment I was too worried about how Sam would react to Hal's secret society. Instead, I asked Robert about what he was studying for at the University. I wanted to avoid him feeling like a fifth wheel or something, and was hoping to ease the tension between him and Max. Fortunately Robert is a bit of a narcissist and was all too happy to talk about how great a soccer player he is and how he's going to go on to lead the US to victory in the World Cup.

We drove in to Fraser with most of the afternoon to spare. So after checking in at the hotel we asked about local things to do. The clerk recommended a few things, but we latched on to The Foundry. It's a movie theater, bowling alley, and pizza joint all in one. So we went there, watched a movie, had dinner, and tried to knock down a bunch of pins. It was a lot of fun and even got Robert to lighten up.

We eventually had to head back to the hotel though, and each of us went to our rooms. I don't know about the others, but I've been enjoying my time with Hal. It's nice not feeling the pressure to call off our conversation so he can get me home. We've been talking this whole time while I've been trying to write, which means this is taking me a lot longer than it normally would.

Hal's been telling me about a news story from the other day. A trucker picked up a woman walking down the highway as he was coming to Denver. He delivered her to a hospital and they called in the authorities. She fits the description of many of the other people who have mysteriously shown up: unique clothing, wandering aimlessly, and speaking little to no English. There's a few things that peak Hal's interest. Firstly that her clothes are definitely a different style from the others, characterized as being of a higher class. Even more interesting is that she actually does speak some English, which leads to the final note of interest. Not only does she not know where she is, it seems she has complete amnesia, not even knowing who she is. As I already mentioned, Hal isn't aware that Candace also has amnesia, so he's not finding this interesting in the same way I am. I'm finding it difficult not to think maybe there's a pattern with the amnesia. I can't talk to Hal about it, cause it's not my place, but I'll have to find time to talk to Candace about it.

I'm starting to drag this out, and I think I'm feeling a little nervous about tonight. But tomorrow's not going to be any fun if I don't get any sleep.

December 21st, 2017

I told Mom and Dad I'd probably be out late and not to worry, they didn't. They were already in bed by the time I was getting home. I'm a little amused by that.

What a great night though, we had so much fun. Hal did extend his plus one invite to Max's boyfriend, so they were able to come together. Though I think Robert was bored with the party, he and Max skipped out early. Which is pretty impressive considering the party didn't last that long either. Hal came and got me after class, which was still early for the party so we went out to get something to eat. Max and Robert joined us at the restaurant, and then we went to the party together.

Mostly just a gathering, lots of talking. It's fun to see people away from work, you get to see a whole different side to them and it's almost like meeting a new person. Take Nancy for example, I never knew she was such a Goth.

Hal and I had a lot of fun too. Since he knows the brains more casually than I do, they'd approach him and ask who his girlfriend was. Then they'd be all surprised that I also work at the museum in front. It's a little annoying, but at the same time I had to laugh. The front end and the restaurant staff see us together regularly, but the rest don't see us together that often.

Hal and I didn't stay too late, but we weren't the first to leave by any measure. We went back to his place.

So I know Mom might read this, especially if anything were to happen to me, and of course I share these with Dr. Laurie. So I'll not go into detail as even knowing they'll be reading this much is embarrassing enough. But I should mention that Hal and I are sexually active now in case any issues arise. Hal was having a hard time deciding when would be a good time to try and kiss me again, so I initiated. Glad I did too, but we'll just say we enjoyed each other's company and he got me home late. We were smart though, prophylactics were involved, and among the various meds I take include birth control. So the only issues I'm worried about are how they might affect, if they do, my attacks. I at least didn't have one during, that would be weird and probably kill the mood.

Oh well, bed time, it is late and I have work tomorrow.

December 16th, 2017

Hal wanted to make sure we had time after the movie to get dinner, so we aimed for the first showing after work that we could make. It meant that I couldn't count my till down fast enough and we were rushing to get to the theater on time, meeting Max and her boyfriend there. Fortunately we had already bought tickets, so we didn't have to wait in line. That said, we were getting into the theater after the trailers had already started and had troubles finding four adjacent seats. Hal and I ended up sitting behind Max and her boyfriend, who we were finally introduced to. His name is Robert, and he is a looker. It's no wonder Max went for him.

The movie was amazing! There's just nothing like the feeling I get as the music starts and the star field scrolling text starts for a movie I've never seen before. It was a little long, one critic said they hadn't noticed how long it was, but I felt it. They did a good job keeping things moving, but after a while it's like what now? And the what now didn't disappoint, any time, but after so many the next one is fatigued. I don't know if that makes sense. It was hard to predict things, and not because they used b role film for the trailers. I'm still not happy they had done that with Rogue One. They mixed things up enough from the standard epic journey that being able to guess the next step wasn't easy. It's refreshing to have a story be different. At the same time, there's a reason the standard story works. There was just a lot for them to keep track of, and it made the movie feel like it could have been done over two movies if not for it all happening at the same time.

I am disappointed in their lack of travel time. I don't know how else they could do things, but it feels very unrealistic for so much travel to take place in so little time. That was something that bugged me in Rogue One too, particularly their ability to monitor something happening "parsecs" away in real time. There should be a delay between when it happens, and when the base finds out what happens. That tends to break my immersion.

All that being said, Rey was marvelous, Luke was a humanized legend, Poe was agonizingly familiar, and Finn was selfless and selfish at all the wrong times and just so lovely for it. I think I most identified with Rose out of them all, as much as I'd want to be Rey I think I'd be Rose. Carrie Fisher will be missed, but the next generation is finally ready to step out on their own. I can't wait for the next movie. For the Han Solo movie too, I am so curious as to what they plan to do with him.

Afterward we did go get dinner. Seems like I've been eating out a lot lately. I know Hal and I, and Max now too, have been getting dinner out once a week. But going out with Sam and Candace the other day, and getting lunch out with Candace before that, and before. This has gotten out of hand. It's been fun going out all the time, but I'm feeling the pinch. I don't think Hal has noticed considering his new "job" and Sam has never seemed to care about how much money he spends. Hal has been happy to cover our bills since we started officially dating, and that's been easier on me. But I can't help but feel a little bit like a freeloader. On the other hand, knowing he's getting paid by this secret society, I'm kinda happy to let him spend it. It is a lot of money to be spending though, and it's making me uncomfortable even if it's not my money. I think I'm going to have to start insisting on packing lunches and having dinner at home. Hell, if Hal is getting paid so well, maybe I can get him in the habit of cooking better. That might be a fun project, especially after next week with his finals.

Anyway, I'm going on about that, and not getting to our dinner conversation. Max and Robert told us about their adventures on Wednesday, which to be honest didn't seem like much. They drove up into the foothills and stopped at a rest stop. While there, whatever was making the noise must've come their way because they said they started hearing it. It got loud enough that they retreated into his car. It kept getting louder and caused his window to break and his windshield to crack. They had to cover their ears it was so painfully loud. Then just as fast as it came it moved on.

I think the most interesting thing though was that while it did sound like rushing wind, they both said there wasn't any wind. At least, nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would make that sound. They didn't see anything, though while they were huddled in Robert's car they weren't able to see much.

I was watching Robert the whole time, and while he seemed mildly interested in the event itself, he seemed confused as to why we were all so interested in it. Obviously Max hadn't filled him in on the larger context. And as Max loves to explain things, he just watched. Hal was asking questions and Max answered them as best she could, but Robert stayed quiet.

When Max and Hal finally allowed, I took the chance to ask Robert what he thought about the tree in LODO. Robert didn't hesitate to say that the city should hire some pest control to get rid of the crows and then cut the damn thing down. He was really hostile towards it, and I never did get a good answer as to why. He didn't seem like an overly religious person, but I did notice a little cross around his neck. I don't want to lump all Christians together on this, 'cause I know they fall on all sides of the spectrum. But it's hard not to when the only Christians who are vocal about it are so adamant that the tree should be destroyed.

I asked him why he felt the tree should be cut down, he mumbled some flimsy excuse about it being in the way of traffic and causing problems. So I asked him why we couldn't just put a roundabout around it. It's too much effort, or would cost too much money, and that's tax dollars out of our pockets. Even if it would create jobs building the roundabout, and hiring someone to make sure the tree was watered and cared for. I asked him if he was even curious about where it came from, how it got there. He just shrugged and said "no."

As hostile as he was toward the tree when the subject came up, he didn't have the same passion toward his reasons for cutting it down. I get the feeling he wasn't being honest with us about his motivations. But as I asked more questions, he just started getting hostile toward me. I don't think Hal noticed, guys don't seem to catch on to that stuff as easily, but Max noticed and changed the subject quickly asking about his next game. He plays soccer for the university.

We avoided the subject for the rest of the night, and once Robert was able to talk about his own interests he calmed down and got the familiar jock cockiness about him. I lost interest after that and just let the rest of the night happen. We eventually finished up and headed out. Max texted me later saying she probably wouldn't be bringing him to any of our dinners again.

Not the greatest ending to a great night. And I have work in the morning.