A reckless smile slowly appeared on my face. It felt as familiar to me as the ultra-plush guest bath towels I’d just wiped my hands on. Before I could overthink, I took off running down the concrete pathway leading to the pool, cheered on by Duke’s whoops and hollers behind me. Today, I was going to be fun. I was here. I was ninety-five percent certain I wasn’t going to get murdered tonight, which still left a five percent chance Duke would turn on me, but that was probably just life. I kept going, picking up speed, fully embracing the unpredictability of fun. Fun. I could do it. I couldtasteit. I couldbeit. The lights around the pool shimmered against the water, beckoning me closer, even as I braced myself for the cold. I, Nora Griffin, was going to be FU—
My foot caught on a patch of black ice as I neared the pool, my momentum forward-spiraling into skittish turns and flailing arms and a loud crack, and then ended with me sprawled out spread eagle on Duke’s parents’ extravagant pool deck.
6
“I am so sorry,”Duke said again.
I turned to him, sitting next to me in the uncomfortable hospital chair. We were still dressed in his shorts and t-shirt, though I had my coat over me. Dozens of people filled the cracks of the waiting area at the emergency room, ranging from limps and scratches to hacking up the black lung. We sat in the corner of the room as far away from everyone else as we could.
“I know. And you really should be. It was completely your fault there was a patch of ice on the ground.”
“I made you run.”
“I could have stopped if I wanted to.”
He was about to say something else when he looked at me. “So…you wanted to jump in? That’s interesting because I remember a lot of swearing and mild threats on the drive to my parents’ house.”
We were interrupted by a pretty nurse with graying hair and a plump figure, who looked like she could use a fresh dose of caffeine.
“I’m so sorry about the wait,” she said with a slight Southern accent. “We had a big multi-car crash with patients coming in an ambulance about ten minutes before you arrived. It might be a while still. Can I get you something?” She looked at me sympathetically.
“Will everyone be okay?” Duke asked.
She sighed. “It sounds like everyone will survive, so that’s good news, but some are in pretty rough shape.” She motioned to my foot. “Do you need another ice pack?”
“I’m fine. It’s probably a sprain. I only came because of him.” I motioned my head toward Duke.
“It made a popping sound when she went down,” he said.
She smiled at Duke. “You did the right thing.” Then to me, she added, “It sounds like he’s a keeper.” She began walking toward her desk. “Let me know if you need anything.”
Duke waited until she sat down at her desk before he elbowed me. “Did you hear that? I’m a keeper.”
I settled back into my chair and closed my eyes with a sigh. “I kind of hope it’s broken so I can justify the cost of this ER visit.”
We were silent for a long while, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Me because my last statement to him sounded flippant, but it wasn’t. Duke felt so terrible about my leg, and when I began limping upon standing up, he was so insistent we come here. I didn’t want to make the money a big deal, but I cringed at how long it might take me to pay this off. But I was here, living in the moment, and at the moment, my brain was too fuddled to try and make sense of anything, because it was two-thirty in the morning, and his arm was currently smooshed against mine on the armrest.
I pushed his arm off with mine. “My turn.”
He nudged my good foot. “We haven’t had the talk yet.”
“Since I’m injured, I call it for the rest of the time we’re here.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “You think because I feel bad about you getting hurt that I’ll just give you the armrest?”
I peeked one eye open at him. “I kind of do, actually.”
He folded his arms in his lap and slouched down in his seat, head on the back of his chair. “Alright, Kiss Cam Nora. We may be here all night. Tell me about yourself.” Before I could protest, he turned his face my way. “And before you tell me we can’t have strings, just think of me like one of your romantic-comedy movies. A mysterious and handsome stranger asking the hot babe a few questions about herself in a waiting room. It’s just small talk.”
“I’m a cafe expert on small talk, and that’s not how you do it,” I said, mimicking his position on my chair, proud of myself for feigning a relaxed pose after being called a hot babe.
“Oh, really? Let’s hear it, then.”
“Are you not allowed to speak to the common folk where you live?” He gave me an annoyed look that only served to excite me. “It goes like this: ‘I can’t believe how cold it is already. It’s only the first of December. I’m scared to see what else is in store for us this month.’”
There was a pause before Duke spoke. “Yup. It does get cold in the winter.”
I tapped on his foot. “You have to pretend to be shocked that it’s so cold.”
