“What are you two saying secretly out here?” she laughed. “I was wondering why you were so quiet, and you’re hatching a whole conspiracy in sign.”
Cat beamed, switching back to speaking. “We were hatching a plan to collude in the game and make sure you lose.”
“Oh my god, that’s so rude.”
“Did you get kicked out of the kitchen?” I laughed, and she dropped down on the chair next to me.
“Alyssa insisted on cleaning up. Said I spoil her and she wants to do something helpful too. So,” she said, leaning forwards, eyes lit up, signing keywords with an excited energy. “Do you want to come to the Birdhouse on Tuesday?”
Cat and I exchanged quick looks. “The Birdhouse on Tuesday?” she confirmed. “I probably shouldn’t, but Jade—”
“I’ll go,” I said. “If Cat goes.”
Daniela nodded at Cat. “It’s important to make sure people see you there hanging out with people, if we’re going to set things right.”
“You guys,” Cat said, hunching her shoulders, and I don’t know if she realized how much she was starting to tear up. “You can’t gang up to handle my interpersonal issues for me!”
“On the contrary,” Daniela said, “I do what I want. It’s not just me. I was saying the same thing with Alyssa…” She trailed off, searching for a name sign for Alyssa. Cat laughed, wiping her eyes.
“Alyssa?” she said, showing Daniela the falling-tree sign, and Daniela snorted.
“That’s a low blow. You can’t do that.”
“On the contrary,” Cat said, “I do what I want.”
“Hey!” Daniela laughed. “Okay, stealing my lines, I can fight you over it another time. ButAlyssaagreed we want tosee you at the Birdhouse with us,” she said, punctuating Alyssa’s name-sign, and Cat smiled wide, her eyes misty.
“Well,” she said, “if you’re sure… I’ve missed the place.”
It was well into the night when we finally said our goodbyes, and Cat and I headed back out to the car. She climbed into the passenger seat, but I didn’t get to circle around to the driver’s side before the house door opened behind me, and I looked back at where Alyssa hurried out after me with a brown paper bag in her hands, and she thrust it out to me before I could say anything.
“I forgot,” she said. “A little gift for you. To say thanks for coming.”
Dammit, the way she looked in those cute little boots and her just-slightly-too-long sweater, her neat braided hair a little messy from the night, blue eyes sparkling in the soft light from the house. I wanted to kiss her so badly. I wanted to kiss the spot on her shoulder that I could see where her sweater slipped down, bury my face against her and feel how soft her skin would be against my lips. Or my cheek. My nose. I wanted to rub my face against her, like a psychopath. It was all I could do to form a coherent thought. “Normally it’s the guest who brings something for the host…”
“Well,” she said, and she winked. “I guess I’m just not that normal, then. Besides, it’s just me being silly. Open it and you’ll see.”
“Hm. Spring-loaded spiders?”
“Hundreds of them. Now open it.”
I opened the bag, and thankfully, there were no spiders. I did see what she meant, though—or at least, I saw howshethought it was silly, but to me it made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. A bouquet of blue flowers. Trimmed from the same bush I took a picture of, I recognized. She must have popped out while Daniela was with me and Cat in the living room.
“I’m even more certain it should be the guest bringing the host flowers,” I laughed, taking out a stem with a few of the tiny blue blossoms.
“I just wanted to say thank you,” she said, smiling sweetly, perfectly. “You know, for coming around. And bringing Cat.”
“Yeah, well…” I couldn’t get the thought out of my head, and I plucked one of the flowers, and I pinned it into the side of her braid crown. She drew a breath, short and sharp, her eyes going wide, and I wanted to keep staring into them forever. “None of this would have happened without you. So…”
She touched her fingertips to the flower in her hair. I shouldn’t have put it there. “I don’t think I’m the type for flowers in my hair.”
“It suits you. You look…”You look beautiful. Look perfect. Look like the face I’ve been seeing every time I close my eyes.I couldn’t find anything that was appropriate to say, and she blushed, softly, before—not taking her eyes off mine—she reached into the bag, plucked off a flower, and she reached up and pinned it into my hair too. My heart ached, and when she let her hand linger there close to my face, it was all I could do not to lean in and kiss her.
“There,” she said softly. “Now we match.”
“You could do with matching with someone who’s not a mean bitch.”
“Hey!” she laughed, tugging on my jacket. “None of that.”
