Page 59 of Sugar Pie
Kerry
The sun was shining through the broken vinyl, and my body was warm and completely satisfied.
Last night, Warren broke something in my heart, but I wasn’t sure what. And it was clear that I’d hurt him. I jumped out of bed and rushed to do everything I could. First, I took his clothes and mine and started the laundry.
He slept, so I made the breakfast, wrote emails, then returned to the laundry to put everything in the dryer.
I was running a mile a minute without coffee. The bedroom door opened, and I jumped into his arms.
He held me tightly and kissed me.
My skin buzzed, and my heart lurched. As he let me go and smiled, I rocked on my feet and said, “Good morning. I washed all your clothes, emailed the realtor to find out when closing can be, found out what we need after you finish your final kitchen installations today and we get paid next week, then made breakfast and your lunch.”
I needed to apologize but just spoke instead. He’d said he loved me, and last night, I saw how much I hurt him.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I thought you went to sleep last night.”
I nodded. I needed to do something nice. I met his gaze and said, “I did, and I woke up… wanting to do something nice for you.”
He blinked. “Why?”
Because he loved me. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I brushed against his arm and said, “You’re so good to me, and I need to be better with you.”
“You don’t need to do anything except be yourself.”
My heart hammered in my chest. I needed to straighten myself out. However, he headed to clean up and came out and ate his toast fast.
I saw the clock and knew that day would be the last day of our month-long routine. I blinked and said, “Have a good day, and I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay.” As he headed out, his lips met mine.
I had been awful to him. My lips still tasted like him, but my stomach twisted. I knew I needed to treat him better. I needed to tell him how I really felt.
35
Warren
Working on that kitchen installation for the last time meant I’d done the same every day for a month. It was much shorter than my gap year, but I’d learned a lot. I tightened the last bolt and checked to be sure that the caulk held against the counters. The job was done. I had my answers, and I had Kerry.
I finished, snapped photos to send to the owner, and cleaned up after myself. The job was complete. I waved goodbye to the guys and headed back to my truck. The next day, I would return to being Warren Norouzi.
Kerry was never far from my mind. I needed to stop pushing her so hard and so quickly.
I hadn’t meant to tell her I loved her. I knew she wasn’t ready. I just wish I could stop.
To stop myself from replaying last night, I called my brother. He answered and after hello, I asked, “Jeff, how would I know if she’s the one?”
“You’re calling the wrong brother.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. Fair enough, but she’d stopped talking about her ex after she’d explained her story. So I rubbed my neck and said, “Cyrus, Joel, and Arman always seem happy, and they never seem to have problems.”
“Maddie was also divorced when Arman met her.”
“They were high school sweethearts, though. It’s not the same thing.”
“True. Look, if you want her, go for her, but bring her home to meet the family before you propose. You know how Maman gets.”
My eyes went to the blue sky, and I shook my head. Then I got in my truck and said, “She’s not ready to meet our parents.” I needed to back off.
