Chapter 45 #2
No objections here!
When the waitress came, Maliyah's eyes lit up.
"Clam chowder, please," she said, her voice rising half an octave.
The waitress's lips curved upward as she scribbled on her pad.
I ordered a bowl for myself with coffee for the caffeine kick I needed, then watched Maliyah's fingers dance around her place setting—straightening her spoon, folding the corner of her napkin, unfolding it again.
Her leg bounced under the table, rattling the silverware with each tap of her foot against the floor.
I tried to engage her in conversation, but no matter what, I could see her attention was split—more interested in watching the kitchen door while waiting for her food.
The waitress arrived with two steaming bowls.
Maliyah froze, staring at the thick, creamy broth where chunks of potato and clam broke the surface.
Her spoon trembled slightly above the bowl as she watched tendrils of steam curl upward.
This was a huge moment for her. It seemed as though her excitement was now warring with anxiety.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Just... this is the first real meal I get to choose to eat. The first one that isn't through a straw or so blended it's baby food." She picked up her spoon. "I'm having a moment."
"Have your moment." If she'd let me, I would have reached across and kissed her right then. The way she looked, the moment between us—this was what it was about. I wanted this moment forever with her, but I didn’t want to steal it from her.
I held back, watching her savor this milestone, finding my own joy in simply being the one beside her for it.
The first spoonful was tentative. She held it in her mouth, eyes closed, like she was memorizing it. The second one came quicker. By the third, she was making little happy sounds that made the couple at the next table smile, clearly taking her for a tourist.
"Oh my God," she said. "There are chunks. Actual chunks of potato. And clams. I can feel texture, Reed. Texture!"
The bliss on her face, the soft curve of her lips, the delicate line of her throat as she swallowed, the way her fingers curled around the spoon—it hit me like a physical force.
"You're the sexiest woman I have ever known, Maliyah," I said, my voice dropping lower than intended.
"Sweetheart, the way you're enjoying that soup right now is making me want to forget we're in a restaurant full of people. "
Her mouth dropped open at my declaration, clearly not expecting it. I smiled wickedly. God, I'd missed this. Her.
"Better take a bite, Sunshine. Clam chowder doesn’t go down well cold."
"Yeah. Okay, yeah."
A few minutes in, she finally took a break to let some words out, and what she said made my heart hurt. "Lucas has been asking about you."
"Yeah?" I croaked.
"He's got this school project about community helpers. Wants to interview a detective." She kept her eyes on her bowl. "I told him maybe you could help. If you want."
"I want." No hesitation. "When?"
"This weekend maybe? If you're not working."
"I'll make it work."
She looked up then, her dark eyes catching the light from the window. Her fingers tightened around her spoon. "He's still..." She swallowed hard, a muscle in her jaw twitching despite the pain it must have caused. "Be careful, Reed. You hurt him when you left. Hurt both of them."
"I know." The coffee I'd ordered tasted bitter suddenly. "Maliyah, I—"
"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty," she interrupted. "I just need you to understand. If we do this—if we try again—you can't run. Not from them."
"I won't."
"You say that now—"
"I won't," I repeated, firmer. "I know I fucked up. I know I hurt you all. But I'm here now. And I'll keep being here. It will take time, but you’ll see. I’m not going anywhere."
She stirred her soup, quiet for a moment. "They need to see you first as a friend. Not us together—just friends."
"Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I can do that. That makes sense. Yeah." Christ, I was rambling. The excitement made me want to do jumping jacks. I couldn’t remember when I was last this excited. "I want to make this right. With all of you."
"I know." She reached across the table, fingers brushing mine. "That's why I'm letting you try."
We sat there, her slender fingers resting over mine, the warmth of her touch spreading up my arm.
Her dark eyes held mine, soft and unguarded in a way I hadn't seen in months.
The restaurant's ambient chatter faded to background noise as she methodically worked through her chowder, each careful spoonful a small victory.
Steam no longer rose from the bowl by the time she set her spoon down with a quiet sigh.
I could see how, though she managed to finish half, the tightness in her newly freed jaw had become too much for her to ignore.
"Getting sore?"
"A little. But worth it." She leaned back, satisfied. "So damn worth it."
"Still want that lava cake?"
"Reed Morrison, are you trying to seduce me with food?"
I scoffed. "I’m not saying I’m not trying to seduce you with food."
The laugh I got from her at that made my heart practically leap out of my chest.
I flagged the waitress. "We need lava cake, STAT, ma’am. I’ve been told good things come to those who buy my friend chocolate!"
With a smile, the waitress headed off to put the order in. She ate lava cake slowly once it arrived, savoring each spoonful like it was the best dessert she’d ever had.
"I missed this," she said suddenly.
"Cake?"
"No. Well yes. But I meant this." She gestured between us. "Just... being normal. Having lunch. Talking about the kids. Not everything being about medical appointments or police reports or—" She stopped, shook her head. "Sorry."
"Don't apologize."
"I'm trying to move past it all. But sometimes it just... hits me. What happened. What almost happened."
"That's normal."
"I know that’s normal." Her voice cut through the air around us, then softened. "Sorry. Again. I just want to stop being the victim, you know? I want to just be Maliyah who has lunch with... with you."
"Your friend," I said carefully.
She met my eyes. "For now. For today."
"I'll take it."
We finished lunch, talking about safer topics. The kids' school. Her gradual return to work. My cases. Normal things. By the time I paid the check—overruling her protests—some of the tension had eased from her shoulders.
Outside, the air was sharp. She pulled her coat tighter, and I resisted the urge to wrap my arm around her. I was pretty proud of myself for holding back.
"Thank you," she said as we reached the car. "For today. For being there."
"Always," I said, meaning it.
She studied my face for a long moment. Then she rose up on her toes and kissed me. Soft, quick, but real. I was so surprised that I felt my hand shaking.
"Do friends kiss in this new world?" I asked, a little scared to hear the answer.
She looked down, fingers tracing the collar of her coat.
"They do today." Her eyes flickered back to mine, a hint of color rising in her cheeks despite the cold.
She bit her lower lip, wincing slightly at the pressure on her still-healing jaw.
"I didn't plan that," she whispered, her breath visible in the winter air between us. "Do you wish I hadn’t done it?"
"Not a freaking chance."
Her face flushed. After a moment, she asked, "Will you take me home?"
"Anything you want."
"I’m going to get the kids from Felicity’s in a few hours. I can’t wait to tell them the good news." She touched her jaw again. "Maybe order pizza to celebrate, even if I can't eat it yet."
"Sounds perfect."
As I drove, she talked about what else she wanted to eat over the coming weeks. Soft pasta. Risotto. Maybe even tender chicken if she cut it small enough. The excitement and her rambling was the highlight of the car ride.
"Hey Reed?" she said as we pulled up to her building.
"Yeah?"
"This weekend. Come for breakfast. Lucas can interview you and you can spend a little time with the kids. See how things go." She paused. "I mean, if you want—as a friend."
"I want," I said. "I really want."
She smiled—careful still, jaw sore, but genuine. "Good. Don't fuck it up."
"I won't."
"You better not."
She climbed out of the car, then leaned back in. "Thank you. For showing up."
I watched her walk to her door, standing straighter than she had in weeks—tomorrow there would be more challenges. More healing. More trust to rebuild. But today she got a piece of herself back again. And I got to be part of it.