Eighteen #3
“Do you two celebrate together?” I grab the bag of cherries from the fridge that I’ve already prewashed and pour some into a bowl handing them to her. I can tell she wants to say something about me having them here for her but she closes her mouth and decides not to.
“Our birthdays are a week apart. Mine is November twenty ninth and hers is December sixth. She always has a big party and she takes up donations instead of presents. We’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember.
” I watch her gently bite into a cherry, yanking the stem off.
Bing cherries always have the strongest stems and even I struggle to get them off sometimes.
I finish adding the last few ingredients for the sauce. “Are you excited for the party then? You love parties.”
“My parents will be there.” She says that like it explains so much.
She sighs dramatically before saying, “They are going to have all these questions and demand to know what I’m doing and what my plans are and I just feel like I shouldn’t have to tell them.
” This is the most that I have ever heard her talk about her parents.
I’ve actually never heard her talk about her parents.
I put the noodles in the pot, setting the heat down just a tad so the water doesn’t over flow and add salt and a tiny bit of olive oil.
“So don’t go.” That seems like the easiest solution.
She lets out a harsh breath, “I have to go.” Then pops another cherry into her mouth discarding the stem in the bowl.
“Then go.”
“Gigi said I should bring a date. So I have a buffer.” Her grandma is obviously looking out for her granddaughter. That I’m sure she loves very much. But the thought of her bringing another guy to make her feel comfortable…
“I’ll go.” I offer and immediately try to correct myself. “I mean, I can be your date.” Her eyes widen with a cherry paused at her lips. “I mean, if you need someone… I can be there.” I try again.
She lowers the cherry, “Are you being serious?”
I turn back to the sauce to try and hide the way that my chest is rising and falling more rapidly because my breathing needs to even back out. “I like parties too.” I say dumbly. I absolutely don’t like parties.
“It’s a themed party, Oliver. Like full send black tie. You have to wear a tux.”
“I own a tux.”
“You own a tux.” She sounds skeptical.
“Remy made us all buy one.” I remember that day easily.
She took us all to buy one randomly. She told us that we should always be prepared to be the type of guy that owns a tux.
I had no idea what the fuck she was talking about but I’ve never been more grateful for my aunt than in this moment.
Mia’s unusually quiet so I turn around to check on her.
Her eyes are full of so many questions when she asks, “Who’s Remy?
” I guess it makes sense that AJ probably hasn’t talked about her much to Mia.
Every time Remy comes to visit us, AJ hides out in her apartment.
She always says she wants to give space for us to visit but I know that it makes her feel like she’s imposing. Maybe Rory will help cure that.
“She’s my Mom’s best friend. Well, she calls herself Mom’s soulmate.” I smile just at the thought of how many times her and Dad fight over that. “She can’t stay in one place, like ever. But she’s family. You’d love her.”
A faint smile ghosts across her face, “Yeah?”
I check the sauce and noodles one more time before I go and stand between her legs so I can be as eye level as possible before saying, “Oh absolutely. You’re both menaces.
” She pushes against my shoulder while smiling fully.
I come closer, catching her eyes again before speaking.
“Take me as your date.” It’s more a plea than a question.
I watch her lips flatline. “You will have to dance and talk to a lot of people. It’ll be overwhelming.
” Her voice is fragile as she tries to talk me out of it.
Like if she lists how much I will hate this party it will make me give up my offer to be there for her.
But Rory told me not to give up on showing her that I can be there.
And for once, he and I are on the same page.
“I’ll manage.” I promise as I lean in a little further with my palms flat beside her thighs and my pinky barely ghosting her skin.
“You will want to punch people.”
“I’ll only punch someone if you tell me to.” I move in even closer and her breath fans across my lips. Cherries mixed with the scent of my body wash wraps around us, it makes my head light.
“Okay.” She says so softly that I wouldn't even know she spoke if I wasn’t already staring at her lips.
“What color is your dress?” I ask her without removing any distance between us.
“Cherry red.” Of course it is.
“I love you in red.” I hand her a cherry and go back to my sauce.
It almost got too sticky at the bottom and that would have been a shame.
This is one of my best dishes. Mia is uncharacteristically quiet and I don’t feel the need to break the silence.
I work easily, preparing the bowls of pasta.
I don’t know what kind of trouble I just signed up for, but my heart is elated that for once, she will be on a date with me.