Page 24 of Ten Years and Then…
“Oh, my God! It took two months and you finally noticed!” But there was no exasperation in her voice, or her face. Nothing there but joy—and love. “I remember thinking you might not notice even though I spent half an hour in the makeup aisle picking it out just for you, because guys never notice that kind of thing.”
“In my defense, there was a lot going on that night. And honestly, there are so many amazing things about you, your lipstick is pretty far down the list.”
Now she kissed him, and he kissed her back, and they held each other so close he could feel her heartbeat even through her coat and his.
He didn’t want to let her go. Forget even going back to his room; it would be enough to just stay out here with her, kissing her until dawn. Or until they both got frostbite, but even that would be worth it for more time with her.
But there wasn’t any choice. They had to be adults about this. It was only three weeks. Well, actually, twenty-three days.
It would be the longest twenty-three days of his life, waiting to see Nora again. To see his girlfriend again. To see the girl—the woman—he loved again.
“Daniel, how are we going to manage this? I know it’s ridiculous, but I don’t want to wait three weeks to see you again. That feels like forever.”
Of course she was thinking exactly the same thing he was.
“We can talk on the phone, at least. That’s better than nothing.” Except, he didn’t have her home number in Providence, and she didn’t have his in the Bronx.
“Wow, I’m really thick. Give me a pen,” he said, and when she dug one out of her purse and handed it to him, he carefully pulled the soft leather glove off her left hand and wrote the number down on her palm.
She tried to hold back laughter. “Aren’t you going to tell me to write it in a notebook as soon as I get back to my room?”
He took off his own glove, held his left palm out to her. “Do I need to?”
She wrote her home number down. “No. I don’t think either of us need to be told.”
He embraced her again, awkwardly with only his right arm, and she did the same. He could only imagine how ridiculous they must look, each holding up their left hand in the air as they kissed one final time before she finally pulled away and headed into the warmth of Morris Hall.
Daniel didn’t care if he looked ridiculous. He only cared that in twenty-three days he’d see the woman he loved again.
Chapter 8
Christmas Break, Part 1—Providence, RI/Bronx, NY/Manhattan, NY
Nora, December 20th
Nora wondered when her grades would arrive. Her advisor said they wouldn’t even be mailed out until after Christmas, but Daniel said his had arrived the same day he got home last year.
She felt good about how she did. She was pretty sure she managed at least a B in even her shakiest class, 20th Century American Lit. Her father—who was paying her tuition—would be satisfied.
How would Daniel grade her, if he had to hand out marks for her performance as a girlfriend? What would his criteria be? Nora tried to picture the report card he’d give her:
Affection: A+
An A+ was very fair. He’d probably grade her even higher on this if there was something above an A+.
Sense of Humor: A-
Nora considered herself very funny, and Daniel always genuinely laughed at her jokes. But on occasion she laughed when maybe it wasn’t totally appropriate, and even if Daniel wouldn’t count that against her, she had to be honest with herself.
Good Table Manners: B
Daniel never mentioned the Milkshake Incident after it happened (and pretended he hadn’t even noticed it in the moment), but if she were him, she’d definitely mark herself down a grade for it.
Intimacy: A+++
Daniel would be grading on a curve here, since he had no basis for comparison, but he had never been less than—well, completely satisfied, to put it as delicately as possible.
Supportiveness: A
