She laughs. "So who did?"
I lean back. "A little girl we met on the beach. Emiliana." She raises an eyebrow. "Go on."
"She’s like…six? Maybe? I don’t know, she has this plastic shovel and a scary amount of insight into my soul." My mom tilts her head, already amused.
"I helped her build a sandcastle," I say. "We’re just messing around at first. Then she started asking questions. About Rava. She clocked it immediately. Said I look at him like I want to kiss him and also cry. I didn’t even know I was doing that."
She laughs out loud.
"At the end of the day, she gave me two bracelets. This one, and a matching one for him. Said I should give it to him when I grow a pair and tell him how I feel."
My mom clutches her chest dramatically. "Oh my god. God bless that little girl."
"Right?! I swear, she has more emotional intelligence than most adults I know."
"And did you give it to him?"
"Yeah," I say, running my thumb across the beads. "After I told him I love him." She looks at me. Proud. A little in awe. "God bless that little girl." She laughs harder, then looks at it again.
"Wow," she says quietly. "You lived through all that…and I had no idea." I look at her. "You will now."
She blinks. "I mean it. I won’t hide anything else. No more secrets, no more half-truths. I want this to be real again. You andme." I touch her hand again. "So hurry up and get better, alright? Get out of this ridiculously clean place."
She wipes a tear from her eye, then smiles. "I’ll do my best," she whispers.
30) Husband Behavior
Rava
The house is quiet. Still, not the kind of quiet that feels lonely, if that makes sense. I stand in the middle of Gio's living room like I've accidentally broken into my favorite place. In his shirt. Lulu is curled on the rug like a tiny, spoiled dictator.
I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. What does someone do when they're alone in the house of the person they love? Wait on the couch like a polite guest? Bake something? Rearrange his spice rack?
I end up doing nothing for ten minutes. Just sit at his desk, staring at a cup of pens and a few receipts from god knows where.
And then it hits me. He's done so much for me. Protected me. Fed me. Slept beside me. Laughed when I couldn't. I want to do something for him. Even something small.
I stand up, suddenly determined. Okay. Housework. That's a thing people do. I'll clean. Where do I start? I look around. And then Lulu meows. She is staring directly at me. Right beside her litter box.
"Oh, right."
She blinks. Judging me. Obviously. I walk over, adjusting my glasses. "Alright, Your Majesty, we'll refresh your royal throne."
As I grab the scoop, I reach for my phone at the same time. There isoneperson who needs to know what happened last night. And the night before.
Noah.
I haven't told him yet. God, he's gonna lose his mind. I tap his contact.
Noah (DO NOT LET HIM NAME MY FUTURE KIDS).
It rings once. And I'm already smiling. Just thinking about it. About telling him that I said it. That Gio said it. That I'm standing barefoot in Gio's house, wearing his shirt, cleaning his cat's litter box. I look down at the bracelet on my wrist as the phone rings.
I'm so happy.
I have the scoop in one hand and my phone tucked between my ear and my shoulder, crouched over Lulu's litter box. She sits beside me, watching.
Noah picks up and immediately starts shouting. "OH MY GOD. Is this the Canadian virgin? The man, the myth??" I grin, shaking my head. "Hi, Noah."
