Chapter 23 #2
Ophelia turned her gaze to them. I watched as her mouth thinned with concentration, her eyebrows furrowing.
It was cute, the way her face looked when she focused.
“First date,” she decided. “He’s trying to impress her.
Look—he’s nervous. He doesn’t know what to do with his hands.
He wants to hold her hand, but he’s not sure if she wants it, so he keeps his arms folded, like he’s physically restraining himself. ”
I listened to her, so impressed with her analysis, it took me a good second to realize…fuck. She was talking about me. I had my arms folded across my chest, clutching my biceps. Holding myself back.
And, yes. I’d been thinking about holding her hand since we first got to the zoo.
Quietly I unfurled, re-positioning my hands to set them on the bench instead. Trying to shake my tell.
“You’re terrifying.”
She smiled. “I know.”
“That explains why you’re so good at the club,” I added. “You read a room. You know what people need. And you make them feel at home.”
She scoffed. “I’m not sure I do…all that.”
I lifted my eyebrows. “The other Friday, I came in and you were playing Charades in the aftercare room.”
“Well, yeah, because Charades is fun. I don’t know if that has anything to do with me…”
“Do I seem like the type of person to inspire playful group activities?” I shook my head. “Before you came, people played and they fucked but they didn’t…hang out. You walked in and…the club became a family.”
Even in the dim light of the exhibit, I could tell Ophelia was quietly touched. She pressed her shoulder against mine. In her shift, our hands brushed together.
Ophelia glanced down at our hands. She didn’t move, and neither did I. Slowly, I painted a fingertip up the back of her hand. Testing. I drew a small circle there. O. Then I traced another letter with my fingertip. P.
Ophelia shivered in a way that had nothing to do with the artificial chill of the exhibit air. Her lips parted, her eyes closed, she sighed and—
Yep. There it was.
The crash.
Ophelia slumped against me. The adrenaline from last night finally caught up with her and, the second I gave her permission to feel safe, her body took it, going into full sub-drop.
I hooked my arm around her, positioning her so she could doze soundly against my shoulder without onlookers being any the wiser.
I felt the warmth of her slow, deep exhales against my neck.
“Auntie Ruby!”
Kira bounded up to us. Her mouth twisted in a frown, though, when she noticed Ophelia was asleep.
“Auntie Ruby is taking a nap,” I told her. “Can I help?”
“Well, Mr. Alex, we were just thinking…” She spun on her toes. “Food.”
Ah, yes. I could help with that.
It was almost half an hour later before Ophelia finally started to open her eyes again.
“There she is,” I said, welcoming her back to consciousness.
She blinked, trying to reorient herself. The four of us were sitting at a picnic table. Kira and Squeaky sat across from us, kicking their feet and getting ice cream all over their fingers and faces.
“How’d I get here?” Ophelia asked.
“I carried you.” She stared at me, stunned. I picked up a bottle of water, twisted off the cap, and set it down in front of her. “Drink this.”
She obeyed, lifting it to her lips and tilting her head back. I watched the movement of her throat as she swallowed it down. It settled something in my heart to see her take care of herself.
She put the water down and reached for the cup of ice cream. I moved the ice cream away from her. Instead, I set a clementine down in front of her.
“Eat this first.”
Ophelia pouted, but she did as she was told, peeling off a slice and popping it in her mouth. When she did, however, she let out a pleased hum.
“Good?” I asked.
“Best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
“Mr. Alex said we could go to the gift shop when you woke up!” Kira said excitedly. “Can we?”
“Ready to rock,” Ophelia murmured, slowly regaining color in her cheeks, “after two more slices.”
Kira and Squeaky did laps around the gift shop. The place was filled mostly with t-shirts, tote bags, and cheap souvenirs, but Kira did a careful inspection of everything, her little brother following her like a shadow.
Then, between the Christmas ornaments and stuffed animals, something caught my eye.
“Gift shops always have the tackiest shit,” Ophelia mused out loud. She’d gotten some energy back after eating, drinking water, and napping. She drew her finger over a line of keychains, making them clink together.
“Stop moving.” I told her. She did. I slipped behind her and pulled a necklace around her throat. Ophelia tilted her chin upwards, allowing me access. I gently moved her hair to the side, pulling the necklace tight before clasping it in the back.
It was part of the gift shop’s serpentine collection, whatever that meant. The necklace was a layered thing in two parts; a black velvet choker on top of a second chain. What caught my eye was the color of the stone that hung from the chain—it was emerald, the same color as her lucky mancala stone.
I dropped my voice and murmured into her ear, “Do you know what a day collar is?”
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “A reminder of who I belong to?”
“It can be,” I said, diplomatically. With one hand on her shoulder, the other on her back, I adjusted her body, turning her to the glasses stand so she could look at herself in the thin mirror.
I met her gaze in the reflection. “I like to think of it as…a reminder that someone’s out there looking out for you. ”
Ophelia touched the necklace. It wasn’t particularly fancy, but…it was a souvenir of our day together. That, I hope, meant something to her.
It meant something to me.
“It’s perfect,” she said. Her voice was quiet, reverent. She looked touched. She tilted her head towards me, chin lifted, those perfect, full lips inviting, and…
I wanted to kiss her.
I wanted to kiss her, right here, in public, and I knew she’d let me.
“Mr. Alex!” Kira said. “Look!”
Ophelia and I broke apart, turning our attention to the girl. She was holding up a stuffed sea lion. My mortal enemy. Back again.
I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “That’s the one you want, huh?”
She broke into a fit of laughter, and bleeding heart that I am, I pulled out my credit card.
We took a taxi home.
Squeaky curled up in Ophelia’s lap. Kira fell asleep in between us, clutching her plushy. The rocking of the cab knocked Ophelia out again, her head slumped against my shoulder.
The light caught on the emerald of her collar, making it sparkle.
My heart went tight.
Watching the three of them sleep made me wonder things I shouldn’t wonder.
Like, could this be real?
Could I actually have it all?