Myles shook his head and gave me a faint smile. “It’s okay. I just wanted you to know that I’m in this for a long haul, andnothingcan keep me from you. Not even your emotionally charged texts.”
You acted quite dramatically.
He narrowed his grey eyes at me. “I so didnot,” he countered.
Wanna bet?
“I’m not giving you money for calling me out like that.”
I chuckled, both in amusement, and in relief that we were okay.
Thank God.
You look crazy right now, I signed, and then pointed at my head to show him exactly what I meant.
Myles put his tongue to his cheek. “Wow, babe,thanks. It’s not like I’ve just woken up from a deep sleep or anything,” he said, but didn’t make a move to fix his hair.
I laughed, and then yawned behind a hand.
“Hey, we should do that cheesy movie thing where the couple keeps the call going while they go to sleep so that it appears as if they’re next to each other instead of miles away,” Myles suggested with a grin.
Cute– that’s what he was.
I nodded.Okay, I signed, and then smiled.
“Perfect. I’ve always wanted to do that.”
I shook my head at him.I’m not surprised, I signed.
He chuckled. “I’dbe surprised if you were.”
We shared a laugh, and then quickly lied down in our beds. I pulled open my phone’s holder and set it next to me so that I could watch Myles, while he did the same on his end.
“Night, Rina,” he said, and then switched off his bedside lamp.
Good night, I signed, and then closed my eyes.
When I woke up around 4 hours later, the day had opened, and I could hear the blue jays chirping outside my window.
I glanced at my phone, and saw that the call was still going, and on the other side, Myles was asleep. He looked silly with his mused hair and slightly parted lips, but also perfect – in every way that mattered to me.
I was about to end the call, but stopped when he stirred, and then started mumbling something in his sleep.
I leaned in so that I could hear him better, but I couldn’t understand anything he was saying. He clearly hadn’t woken up, and every few seconds, he’d stir, mumble something incoherent, and then nuzzle his nose against his pillow.
I couldn’t stop watching him, and after a while, I realized I was laughing. It seemed that even in his slumber, Myles was capable of making me happy; of putting a too-wide smile on my face.
And ifthatlittle factoid wasn’t enough to let anyone know that he was a keeper, then I don’t know what was.
29.Bubblegum And Coffee
Iwrapped my shawl around me tighter, and leaned a shoulder against the doorframe as I watched Myles pull a thick screw out from between his teeth. He grabbed two short pieces of polished wood, placed one horizontally and the other vertically, and then drilled them together by their respective edges.
I had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but the way he moved and the way he did things, was so fluent and thorough that I couldn’t help but admire him as he worked.
He was wearing clunky boots, dark jeans, a pink cable-knit pullover with its sleeves pushed up, and a black beanie. A few strands of his caramel hair were sticking out here and there from under said beanie, and every other second, he’d try helplessly to swipe them back with a gloved hand, but then huff when it did nothing.
It was the first day of 2022, andhardly9a.m., and Myles and the crew were already back at the house for the renovation. It was clear dedication on his part, and not an uncontrollable urge to sneak in as many breathless kisses as him and I could beforeAvôwoke up.
