Chapter 15 #2
I smile, looking at the line of cans. It’s quiet for a moment. I take in the sweats he’s in. The hat he’s wearing is the same one I borrowed on Halloween. He smells clean, and his face isn’t giving away a thing.
He turns around and leans against the counter. He listens to the guys in the other room for a moment, and then he looks at me. “Did you enjoy the game?”
I swallow, looking down at his hands holding onto the edge of the counter. “Yeah.”
He nods, and the voices from the living room fill the air.
Stanley shrieks, and Blue shakes his head.
The silence stretches.
I hold onto my can of Diet Coke like it’s going to save me from this tension. I keep looking down at the cans, but my eyes keep coming back up. He’s watching me. Then he clenches his jaw and looks at my bag around my arms. I realize I look ridiculous holding my purse in the house.
“I haven’t been to one of your games in a long time,” I say, desperate to fill the silence.
“Yeah,” he says, looking at the counter. “It’s been a minute.”
“It was fun,” I say playfully. I lift my can, and before I take a sip, I say, “You really like to throw the first punch.”
He watches the can tip against my mouth, and his grin slowly grows. “When I was in the box,” he says, crossing his arms. “I was thinking about what you said.”
I lower the can, heart fluttering, and ask, “What did I say?”
“On Halloween,” he says like it’s supposed to ring a bell.
I try to search my memory. But it’s blank. I only recall dancing and waking up in his bed.
“Mm,” I lick my lips and lower my hand down. I grip the can with both hands. “I don’t remember.”
His eyes flick to mine. “You don’t remember?”
I press my lips together and shake my head once.
His smile lights up his whole face. Jesus, my stomach squeezes when I look at his mouth.
“Oh my god, what did I say?” I ask, flushing. I’m looking at his smile and his eyes, his entire face, and my insides are firing. Now he’s searching my face. I hold my breath.
“You don’t remember any of it?” he asks, keeping his arms crossed.
“Blue,” I start to panic. “Did I make a fool of myself?”
He just looks at me, so I put the can down and cover my face with both hands.
“Did I?” I ask through my hands.
The next thing I know, I feel his hands on my wrists. He gently removes my hands from my face. He’s looking between both of my eyes, and I feel the current between us. It’s much stronger when I’m not drunk. I can’t even breathe with him this close.
“What did I say?” I whisper.
He searches my face, and his eyes on me are like the sun on a warm day. I just want to sit and lounge under his gaze.
He swallows. I watch his apple bob. I can feel the jolt in my spine. It doesn’t help that his hands are still on my wrists.
He says, “You called me naughty.”
The warmth in my cheeks spread to my chest. “Well,” I say, trying to hide my nerves. “It’s funny to see you sitting on a time-out because you were being naughty.”
He nods. “That’s what you said.” His eyes are staring straight into mine, and the intensity is enough to make me shiver.
I smile nervously, glancing down. He releases my hands and leans against the counter.
“What else did I say?” I ask, scared to know the answer.
“Aw, you know,” he says.
I look up at him, mortified.
“Just that you want two kids, and something about my brain.”
I press my hands on my cheeks. “No, I did not.” I stare at the ground, thinking about that for a moment. Then my eyes flick up. “No, Blue, don’t mess with me.”
He smiles a real smile. “I’m not making it up.”
“We talked about how many kids we want?”
He nods, amused.
“Well, what did you say?”
“What did I say?” he asks like he wasn’t expecting that.
I nod. When he takes a moment to think, I add, “I don’t remember what you said, so it’s only fair you tell me now that I’m sober.”
He shrugs. “I said two.”
My smile widens. I can tell when he’s bullshitting. “Yeah, right.”
He shakes his head. “No, I, uh, said I don’t know, but after I thought about it, I think two’s a good amount.”
I can’t stop the way my heart beats faster.
Silence falls over us because I start imagining Blue with two kids, or me with two kids.
It feels so far away. So much can happen between now and then.
I start to wonder who I’ll have kids with.
I’ve always imagined that with Blue, but I didn’t think he was the husband-father type of guy in high school.
But I always thought that his babies would be adorable.
“I can hear you thinking,” he says.
My eyes find his. No way. There is no way he knows what I’m thinking.
“Okay,” I challenge. “What am I thinking?”
“About having two kids.”
I laugh. “Yeah.” I raise a brow and grab my can of Diet Coke. “Because we’re talking about it.” I take a big sip.
He continues, “Thinking about what they would look like.”
“Okay,” I say.
He looks at his hands. “I bet they’d have your blue eyes.”
“And yours would too,” I say with a smile.
He picks at something on his finger. “Yeah. Maybe.”
I have to change the subject before I die in this kitchen. “Is your face okay?”
“Yeah,” he grins, looking over at me. “It’s nothing.”
Gianna walks into the kitchen like she’s walking on eggshells. “Sorry to interrupt, but the Uber is here. Ready to go?”
“Yeah,” I nod. I look at Blue. “It was nice catching up.” I finish my can and throw it in the trash, walking past him. When I reach the door, he calls my name, so I turn around, flushed.
“Do you have the same number?” he asks with soft eyes.
My heart starts racing so fast that I can feel my pulse in my fingertips. I don’t trust my voice, so I nod. Mila comes up beside me and looks at Blue. This time, she doesn’t snub him.
“Ready?” Mila says. “I have plans in the morning.”
I look at her and nod. “Yeah.” I look at Blue before I walk away. “Good night.”
He waves.
I let Mila pull me through the house. We tell the rest of the guys goodnight while my heart’s still in my throat.
When we walk outside, Mila pulls me closer to her. “How did it go? You guys were talking the whole time, or?”
“He asked if I had the same number.” I try to hide my blush.
“Oh my god,” she gushes. “Are you serious?”
I nod.
“Do you think it’s going to be different this time?”
I think about what he said about my future children and nod. “I think so.”
We hop into the warm Uber with Gianna. Lucy’s staying with Benson for the night. Before we drive off, I look out the window at the Hawthorne House. The lights are on through the window, and I smile to myself.