Taking a hand towel with me to wipe my hands, I open the door. And there she fucking is. She’s braided her long multi-colored hair into two pigtails that hang down past her shoulders. Her face glows like she’s been out in the sun. She holds up a pink box that smells like vanilla.
“Hi. Hope you don’t mind that I brought dessert. I’m allergic to dairy but I found this local bakery that does dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free desserts.” She smiles and I’m entranced. “It may taste like shit.”
I stare at her like a creeper because I can’t help myself.
“Um, Julien?”
Get a grip, I chastise myself. “Shit, sorry. Please come in. I was just finishing making lunch.”
She sniffs the air and hums. “Smells delicious.”
“Something you used to like. Also dairy-free and gluten-free.” I stop. “I wonder if you’ll still like it. Does amnesia cause your taste buds to change?”
“You know what? That’s actually an interesting question. I guess we’re about to find out. It smells good, so I’m sure I’ll love it.”
I take the dessert box from her and pull out a bar stool for her to sit down. Liz asks me, “Can I help with anything?”
“Nope. I’m just about done. You can keep me company while I finish up. Want anything to drink?”
“Water would be nice.”
I grab a bottle from the fridge and open it for her. I watch as she pulls a drink from the bottle. Liz used to be beautiful, but my God, she’s absolutely stunning now even with braided pigtails. There’s just something different about her I can’t pin down. Perhaps it’s my imagination since I haven’t seen her in over a year, but still.
“You’re staring again.”
“Oh. Sorry. I was trying to figure out what’s different about you.”
“What? Like plastic surgery different? Weight loss different?”
“Neither of those. I can’t describe it. You do have more muscles though.”
Liz laughs and flexes her bicep. Damn, she really is packing some serious strength behind her girlie, curvy figure. “Months of PT and the gym. I like to run too. Did I used to do those things before?”
“We had to bribe you with coffee and scones just to get you up in the morning for school. The only time I ever saw you run was when Jay was chasing you.”
“Wow. So I am different than before. You look like you work out as well.”
“I run ten miles a day and play soccer. I’m actually on the CU soccer team. You’ll need to come watch a game sometime.”
“I would like that. Are you any good?”
“I’d like to think so.” I look at her. “You used to think so.”
I finish mixing the pasta and spoon some in a plate, then add the toasted pine nuts before placing it in front her.
“Dig in.”
She scoops up a large fork full. The moan she makes when she bites into the pasta sends my nerve endings haywire. “So good,” she murmurs between bites. “You’re a talented chef on top of being a self-proclaimed talented soccer player. Any other talents I should know about?”
“I’m good with my hands.”
Liz chokes a little on her food and takes a large swallow of water. “Good to know,” she replies, a rosy blush creeping up her neck and cheeks. This is getting interesting. Liz and I never flirted with each other like we’re doing now.
We finish eating and I suggest we go out on the balcony. I bring the dessert she brought and two forks. “Let me turn on the overhead fans outside. It’ll help cool things off so it’s not so hot out on the balcony.”
We have three Adirondack chairs on the balcony. I offer her one that is directly under a fan and slide mine close to hers.
“Your place is really nice. Ryder and Jay — I mean, Jayson — live here too, huh?”
