Page 38 of The Puck Decoy

The rest of the lesson soon flies by, especially given I am not teaching alone, and it seems like the kids get a lot more work done than usual, and are exhausted by the time their parents pick them up. Hallie and I accept some congratulations from those who have seen our wedding announcement in the paper, and when it’s just us and Penelope left, we move to leave.

Hallie and Penelope talk back and forth the entire drive to the diner. I swear it’s the most I have ever heard her talk before, and by the time we reach her mom’s work, she is walking in with a smile on her face.

“Why don’t you grab us a booth and we can get some dinner, while I go talk to Pen’s mom,” I tell Hals, and she nods, before I walk the little girl over to the counter.

“Josh, hey,” Callia sighs, clearing away some cups and wiping down the surface before her daughter sits. “How was it?” she asks, directing her question to me, given that her daughterisn’t usually much of a talker, but to our surprise she answers instantly.

“It was so much fun, Mom. You should have seen how Hallie beat Josh, it was awesome,” she gushes, and Callia looks at me in surprise as I shrug.

“My wife tends to have that effect on people.” Her eyes widen as she moves to grab her daughter a drink

“I didn’t know you were married, I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone,” she replies in confusion, and I can’t say I blame her.

I eat here every week after class, and it’s always alone, so I can’t lie too much. I therefore stick to the truth as much as possible. “The wedding just happened on Saturday, it was pretty quick, but we’ve known each other for a long time, our families practically grew up together.” It’s the last part of my statement that has her smiling softly with a knowing look in her eye.If only she did know.

“Well, congratulations, I’m happy for you. Do you want the usual?” She goes to the till to start ringing me up, but I stop her.

“Ah no actually, could I grab a couple of menus?” I know Hallie must be starving after watching me practice and then helping me teach, so I want her to be able to read through some food options.

Callia smiles in response. “Sure thing, I’ll bring them over.”

“Okay thanks.” I nod, turning to leave but not before I ruffle Penelope's hair and bid her goodbye. “See you later Pen.”

The kid offers me a wave as I head over to the booth that Hallie has situated herself in, and I slide into the seat opposite her. She studies me closely, not saying a word even though I can see a million questions brewing behind those green eyes of hers. I can’t say I blame her, a couple of weeks ago we were barely on talking terms. Sure, I saw her all the time thanks to Maddie, but it had been a long time since we ever properly hung out just thetwo of us. Now here we are married, and I have seen her more in the last few weeks than I have in the last year. It’s weird yet comforting in a way, and it’s like I am seeing a whole different side to her than before.

Callia doesn’t take too long to deliver the menus, and I talk through some of the options with Hals before we finally settle on an order. Then we enjoy an actual dinner together, unlike the one we attended with my parents yesterday, and for the first time in years we talk about everything. I tell her about the teaching, and the interest I have been getting from scouts, and she tells me about her classes, and how the internship with her dad was in the summer, and now she thinks she wants to work there full time when she graduates. It’s nice, and it’s the first time in a long time where I have spent any extended amount of time with a female and actually enjoyed myself. And even more so, it’s the first time in years where I have opened up to anyone.

We also talk about the wedding and I show her the pictures on my phone, forwarding them to her as we speak. “It was a really beautiful wedding, I don’t think I told you that,” she whispers, studying a picture of the two of us closely.

“A beautiful wedding to go with a beautiful bride,” I muse without thinking, and her eyes flick to mine with a smile.

“You’re just being nice to me so I won't punch you in the dick again,” she claims, and I can’t help but laugh, watching closely as she dips another salty french fry into her strawberry milkshake. She’s already blown through two cheeseburgers, and is now on her second portion of fries and milkshake.

I steal one, copying the exact same thing she just did and pretending I like it just as much as I respond, “Hals, there are plenty of things I’d like you to do to my dick, punching it isn’t one of them.”

Her eyes widen a little as she leans back in the booth and purrs, “Huh, think about me and your dick often do you?”

It’s only now I realize what I just admitted to, and I can’t exactly back down now, so instead I lean forward and double down. “Guilty as charged, but in my defense, you are my wife.”

She swirls another fry in her milkshake before she takes a bite and flirts, “And how terrible of you to have bad thoughts about your wife.”

Her words make me groan, not just because of how she said that, but because of the images it paints in my mind too. “Come on, Tink, don’t say it like that.”

Her smile is innocent, her eyes are anything but, as she asks, “Like what?”

I flick my stare around the diner casually, cracking my neck in the process to prolong my answer before I reply, “Like you’re mine for the taking.”

Now she just looks amused, “How come? What if I were yours for the taking?” I can see the mischief written all over her pretty face, and I can feel how easy this game would be to play with her, but I have to remember the stakes.

“You don’t want me to take you, Hallie,” I tell her firmly, reminding myself why I never let myself get attached to women, and the light from her eyes vanishes slightly.

“Why not?” she asks, and I can tell she truly wants the answer.

“Because all I would do is break you Hals, I’d take all those colors that burst out of you every day, and ruin them with my darkness.” I am as honest as I can be, and I’m sure she understands given she grew up pretty much right alongside me.

She saw the mess that was my parents’ marriage, and she knows the scars I wear that were burned into me from my father’s words. I’m fucked up and jaded by his lack of love and affection, so how could I ever expect myself to be normal and have a real relationship.

I’m sure my words will have done the trick, but instead of looking resigned or disappointed, all she does is take a slow sip of her milkshake, my eyes locked on her lips and the straw before she purrs, “Well you know what they say?”

---