Chapter 12
For a brief moment, Freddie thought it would all be fine.
After a night of live theater and tragically placed Lycra, he thought the universe would cut him a break and the police officer would ignore them.
Maybe even laugh at the fact that a literal fairy had just vaulted the subway stall to land at his feet. Crazier things had happened.
But then the officer reached down and took hold of Cricket’s arm, pulling her to her feet. Cricket looked up at him, her lip curled, and cried, “Let go of me, you fascist!”
Suddenly, it was chaos. Another officer appeared on the platform as Cricket flailed, trying to free herself.
Her shrill protests echoed off the tiled walls of the subway station while Ellis cried out for her to stay calm.
He was desperately trying to get his phone app to work and also had one arm around James, who was in tears.
Freddie was already moving to give Ellis his phone, let him use his app to get past the turnstile, when Cricket screamed again.
“You ripped my costume!”
Then she reared around, squirming one arm free to slap one of the officers across the face.
Shiiiiiiiiit.
To his credit, the officer almost looked put out as he pulled the handcuffs from his belt, as if this wasn’t how he wanted his night to go, either.
“You can’t arrest her!” Ellis yelled. He still had his arm around James’s waist while trying to work his phone. Freddie started toward him, phone ready, when Anne walked past him, sliding through the turnstile and calmly walking up to the officers while Cricket flailed.
“Can you tell me what specific charges she’s being arrested for?” she asked, discreetly holding her phone out as she looked to take notes.
The chaos continued around them, but Anne remained composed as she listened to the first officer while the other recited the Miranda rights to Cricket.
“And what precinct do you plan to take her to?” Anne asked.
On the periphery, Freddie could see that a few other people had arrived at the station, trying to make sense of the scene. But all he could focus on was Anne, how she deftly navigated her questions, maintaining her composure even as Cricket started screaming, “PIGS!”
Her shouting was drowned out by another train entering the station, screeching to a halt, and releasing a few more people onto the platform.
By the time it departed, the officers were escorting Cricket through the emergency door and up the stairs to the street.
Anne followed them, while Freddie, Ellis, and James followed close behind.
They reached the sidewalk just in time to see Cricket disappear into the back seat of a police cruiser. Then they pulled away.
“What’s happening!” James cried, leaning into Ellis at his side. “Where are they taking her?”
“The officer said they’d book her at the Midtown precinct on Thirty-Fifth,” Anne said, hugging her peacoat around her body. “I can head over and—”
“No, I’ll go,” Ellis said with a decisive nod.
“What if she goes to prison?” James sobbed to no one in particular. “She can’t go to Rikers! She won’t go anywhere above Forty-Fifth Street!”
Ellis patted his shoulder and turned back to Anne. “Do you have the address?”
Anne pulled out her phone again and a moment later, Ellis’s pinged. “I also sent you the arresting officer’s name and badge number.”
Freddie wanted to say something. Anything. But he had no idea what. Why the hell did he feel so paralyzed? He should have helped Anne down there, or calmed James, or at least gotten Ellis’s app to work. It had all happened so quickly; his brain hadn’t had time to engage.
“You might be able to get her released tonight, but I would call a lawyer to make sure it’s all handled properly,” Anne added.
At this, Freddie perked up.
“I have an attorney,” he said, finally snapping out of his stupor and stepping forward. “I can give him a call if you need—”
Ellis shook his head. “It’s okay. We know somebody.”
“We do?” James asked, throwing his hands in the air like the question was rhetorical.
Ellis frowned. “Yeah. Glen in 2B. He’s on the co-op board.”
“But he’s a tax attorney!”
Anne cleared her throat. “James, why don’t you come home with me and—”
“No,” James cut her off, shaking his head defiantly. “I will not abandon her. What if they hurt her? What if they make her wear orange?”
“It’s fine,” Ellis said, nodding to Anne and Freddie. “You two should head home. We’ll grab a cab and head to the police station to see if we can’t get her released tonight.”
James was still lamenting every possible fate that could befall someone in an NYPD holding cell as Ellis guided him to the curb and waved down a passing taxi.
“We’ll text you when we know what’s going on!” Ellis yelled just before they climbed in the back seat. Then the car jolted forward, and turned at the corner.
Just as quickly as the chaos descended, it was gone, replaced by an eerie silence that seemed to swallow up their small section of the sidewalk.
Freddie turned to look at Anne just as she brought her gaze up to his, and for a moment they just stared at each other.
From the nearby subway stairs he could hear a train approaching on the platform—brakes screeching, doors sliding open, an announcement to stand clear of the closing doors.
“I should head down there. Grab the next train,” she said.
Freddie let out a long breath. All the tension had left his body, and now his muscles felt like rubber. He was exhausted. “Want to share a cab? I’ve had enough of public transport for one night.”
“That’s okay. I don’t mind waiting for a train and—”
“Come on. You’ll be home in half the time. It’s my treat,” he cut in.
She hesitated, then finally nodded. There was a hotel across the street and a few cabs waiting along the block. Freddie nodded to one of the drivers who was idling, then opened the back door of the car for Anne.
She slid in, sinking into the seat. Just as Freddie sat down in the other, a low moan escaped her lips.
He froze. He remembered that moan, and for a split second he hated his brain for conjuring up why, those moments so many years ago when he had been the one to elicit them.
“You all right?” he asked.
“I don’t normally wear heels.” She sighed, reaching down to slip her heel from her shoe. “And now I remember why.” She wiggled her other heel free and let out another moan. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes, her neck arching up and lips parting slightly the way they used to when he—
He turned away abruptly. Maybe this was a bad idea.
“Where to?” the cabbie asked.
“Avenue A and Ninth Street,” Freddie replied.
The cabbie nodded and turned left, heading downtown.
The sound of the passing traffic filled the taxi, but in the back seat there was only a heavy silence.
Freddie tried to ignore it, watching the city blocks dissolve into one another, but it felt unnatural.
He and Anne had never sat in silence like this before.
From the first moment they met, it was like they had known each other over a lifetime.
Stories and jokes and observations were shared easily and nothing felt forced.
Of course, that was before. Now he just had to get used to the after.
The sound of his phone’s ringtone cut through the silence. He pulled it from his jacket pocket and saw his mother’s picture on the screen.
Shit.
He discreetly sent the call to voicemail.
Just as he was putting it back in his pocket, it began ringing again, his mother’s face still on the screen.
He let out a long breath and answered. “Hi, Mom.”
“Did you just send me to your voicemail?” His mother’s voice was loud, and he had absolutely no doubt Anne could hear every word from the next seat.
“Mom—”
“I know you did. Sophie told me you can tell when there’s a click at the end of the ring.”
He squeezed his eyes closed, hoping for some patience. “I’m sorry I sent you to voicemail. I was busy.”
“Are you on a date?”
“No, Mom,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Who are you with?”
“It doesn’t—”
“Is it Anne?”
Shit.
His eyes snapped open and darted to where she was seated next to him, eyes wide. Oh, yeah, she could definitely hear everything.
“If it’s Anne, tell her we said hello!” his mother continued, then her voice became a yell. “The Wentworths say hello!”
He was going to kill her. Or at least, never help with Christmas decorations again. “Okay. Will do. Now, why are you calling?”
“To wish you luck on your job interview tomorrow! Don’t be nervous, you’ll do great.”
He sighed. “It’s just a meeting, Mom.”
“What are you going to wear?”
“Sweatpants. Flip-flops. Maybe Sophie’s Eras Tour T-shirt.”
Anne turned back to the window. He could just make out the slight shake of her shoulders, like she was laughing.
“I don’t know why I bother.” His mother let out an exasperated sigh before moving on. “All right, what time are you coming out on Thanksgiving?”
“It’s almost two weeks away. I haven’t thought about it.”
“Well, I need to know because if it’s before noon, I need you to pick up the antipasti from Aunt Susan’s. She can’t carry that thing herself.”
“Then I’ll be there before noon.”
“Okay, I’ll let her know. I’m going to bed now,” his mother said, as if he had been the one to call her. “Remember to tell Anne we said hello when you see her.”
“I will, Mom.”
They said their goodbyes and he let the screen go dark, staring down at his reflection as he tried to regain some semblance of dignity. He could pretend the call didn’t happen and sit through the rest of the cab ride in silence. But even he wasn’t that petty.
“My parents say hello,” he murmured.
Anne nodded, barely biting back the small smile on her lips. “How are they?”
“Good.” He leaned back and sighed. “Happy their son is finally back in the city to pick up platters of cured meats and cheeses.”
She laughed, the sound so light and familiar that it almost hurt.
“I’m surprised they didn’t convince you to move back home to Queens,” she said.