Checking The Perimeter

JP with Trustno1 and Cindy

Sartre walked with Alyssa in the night air around the perimeter of the house. "See anything?" he asked.

Alyssa glanced around, listened, around again. "No, nothing." Except maybe the hoot of an owl and a few crickets that hadn't gotten the message that summer was drawing to a close. "Do you see anything?”

"I don't see anything, except a hacker that is prettier than what they call a romanceable NPC in those video games." He smiled.

"Thank you," Alyssa smiled at him. She knew it was a compliment, but as someone who, surprisingly rarely played video games, it came out as kind of an awkward one.

Alyssa looked up, the sky was clear. The moon and stars hung overhead and they were far enough away from the lights of any city to be able to see the sky clearly. There was a slight chill in the air but Alyssa, had on her leather jacket and wasn't feeling it. "It's a nice night. Should we sit in the Gazebo, awhile?”

"Sure the gazebo will be nice. There's something going on in your head Agent Wilson," he said. "What is it?”

The hacker didn't respond, instead she led him to the gazebo and sat down on the pale blue porch swing suspended from the white rafters.

The gazebo was white, and the furniture white with pale blue accents, except the swing which was pale blue with white accents. It all worked well together.

Alyssa padded the seat next to her, beckoning the man to sit next to her. "You know, I always wanted a swing like this. I used to pass houses with this kind of swing, in middle class families, and I would picture what their lives must be like." She shook her head slightly. "Silly, I know."

Not exactly avoiding the question, but not really answering it.

He sat next to her. "Tell me more.”

"What else is there to tell? I was a kid who thought I'd be better off not being wealthy." Alyssa got really quiet as if she had said too much. "Sorry, that makes sound incredibly ungrateful for what I did have. That's not how I mean it.”

"You wanted to play with other kids, but did not necessarily know how? Alyssa am I the only friend you ever have had?" He reached to take her hand.

"That was only part of it. I thought those kids had great parents or maybe not great but at least parents that wanted them." Alyssa responded. "But yes, you're probably my first friend. I think of Max as a friend but I don't think he thinks the same. Choi, he seems
like a friend, or on the way to being one.”

"Did you feel like your father wanted you?” Peter inquired.

"Not back then. He was never around, and I didn't know why. It didn't make me think he wanted me." Alyssa explained.

"How do you feel about him now?” Peter then added. “Of course, I want and love you Alyssa.”

"I know he couldn't help it, and now he's not around to try to protect me. The thing is, it's not protecting me. Him being around me or not seems to make no difference with the darkness. But I've not been able to speak to him since we were in San Francisco. And he hasn't reached out to me. So, it's difficult to not let the same thoughts,that maybe that was just an excuse to not be around me, creep into mind." Alyssa paused. "I love him, I saw in him that he loves me. I'm just not sure he has any real idea of how to be a father.”

"You know I love you, don't you?”

Alyssa formed a gentle smile on her face and let her hand reach his chin, lightly touching it. "I know, and I love you too." Her world was a lot less lonely with him in it, but she was still new to navigating this kind of relationship. "I still feel like I know so little about you, and your past. What was or is your family like?”

"They were all right, I mainly spent a lot of time on my own. Reading. Hanging out on fanfiction forums on the dial-up internet. All that practice helped me with my criminology research and writing that was required for my behavioral sciences degree. Seattle was always rainy so we always stayed inside a lot. The coffee is decent though. I was mainly a loner. I liked it that way.” Peter replied

"So, I guess that's partly why we get along." Alyssa said, though her mind was contemplating what it must have been like growing up with dial-up. "Did you have friends?”

"A few. we would watch wrestling and they would help me with math.”

"Did you have any siblings?" Alyssa realized he hadn't mentioned any.

"It was just me and my books.” Peter responded. "Should we head inside? I have a desire to talk to you more but to play with your hair at the same time." he said.

"Yes," Alyssa agreed and walked inside with him.