We’re both laughing when the kitchen door opens, and my sister-in-law walks in. In true Danielle fashion, she looks incredible even at six in the morning with no makeup, just her pajamas and a robe.
She glances back and forth between the two of us with a Cheshire Cat smile on her face before saying, “Don’t let me interrupt. I just came down to get a glass of water.” She snickers.
Snickers!
Matt and I are both quiet as she fills up a glass of water, never removing her eyes from us. She takes a sip and looks at Matt first, then me, and says, “You know…” She waves her finger back and forth between us.Don’t say it, Danielle. Don’t freaking say it, PLEASE.“You two makesucha cute couple.”
I roll my eyes at her, and she chuckles as she drops the bomb and walks away from us without looking back.
“She’s such a pain,” I mutter under my breath. “But I freaking love her.”
He smiles fondly at me, and my heart squeezes in my chest. Matt reaches out to hold my hand, and the electricity is back.
I would love nothing more than to spend the rest of the morning sitting here talking to him, but I don’t want to risk getting caught by anyone else. Mom is an early riser, and the twins get up around seven, which means Vinny does, too. Plus, I’m still sweaty and gross, a fact that Matt might not have noticed yet due to the early-morning sun but certainly will soon as more and more light fills the kitchen.
I sigh and say, “I’m gonna go take a shower now.”
And do my very best to not think of you in it with me.
“See ya later,” he calls out to me as I leave the kitchen.
ICHECKthe watch on my phone for the time and see that it’s only 10:58 am.
She hasn’t stood me up—yet.
Honestly, I don’t even know if she’s coming. When we talked about it that morning in her mother’s kitchen, itseemedlike she was being serious, but we didn’t talk about meeting up again during the rest of my stay. I should have confirmed that we would be going through with this “chance” encounter plan that she devised, but I could never catch her by herself. Vinny had eased up a lot after our talk, no longer glaring at me every time I spoke to her, but he definitely did everything to keep us from being in the same room alone. And it’s not like I had her number to confirm that she’d be showing up or anything. Nope. That would be against the rules.
Is this what people did before cell phones? Because it is anightmare. Now I just have to stand here and wait, not knowing whether she was being serious or not.
What if she doesn’t show? I had to switch shifts with another cardiologist at the hospital in order to get this Saturday free, and it would suck if I had to pull a double next week for no good reason.
I stand in front of the cafe’s display of chocolates and candy, pretending to shop, while I take another sip from my coffee.
This really is amazing coffee. No wonder she comes here every weekend. Plus, the restaurant is beautiful and vibrant, full of people. The smell of butter and baked goods makes my mouth water.
I take comfort in knowing that I can just drown my sorrows in pounds of flaky croissants if she stands me up. I can just order a bunch of the ones in the window of the cafe, bring them home, and eat them all day.
I check my phone again and groan. 10:59 am.
Get it together, Matt!
I crack my neck on both sides and shake my arms a little, being careful not to spill a drop of this delicious coffee. Maybe I should have gone for some tea or something. This much caffeine was a bad idea. I’m all wired up.
Yup, must be the coffee. Definitely not because I’m nervous or anything. Definitely not because I know that, even though I’mtechnicallynot doing something wrong, I’mdefinitelydoing something wrong.
I check my surroundings again, sorting through all the faces around me. I’m six-three, but I still stand on my tiptoes to look around the crowd for her face. I crane my neck left and right, completely losing hope and cursing myself for being dumb enough to show up. And then…
I see her.
She sees me.
She smiles.
I smile.
She looksincredible.
Her hair is in a braid this time, and she’s dressed in loose denim overalls and a baggy long-sleeved tee underneath with cream high-top Chucks. I like that she chose a casual outfit for our non-date. I love that she’s comfortable in her own skin. I love her style.
