Page 140 of Falling Backwards
She doesn’t manage to keep talking before noise sounds inside the apartment, followed by singing.An interruption of our unplanned quiet moments, in the form of one of her friends.
We finally unwind ourselves from each other, and she shakes her head a little as if to clear it.“Um…nevermind.”
I’m struck with worry that she’s trying to clear her head of being so warm towards me, but she gives me a smile I believe, so I don’t worry for long.
“Ready to go?”she asks, reaching for the water bottle and purse just inside the door.“You, uh, got your powerwalking shoes on?”
She doesn’t check my feet since she’s notactuallyasking—of course I’ve got the right shoes on now that Iownthe right shoes.She’s just mentioning how we agreed that today’s walk at the park won’t be as leisurely as yesterday’s.We’re going to try to push ourselves.
I say, “Yep, I’m ready.”As I remember it, I dig into one of my hoodie pockets, then extract the package there.“And I’m ready to eat my gummy worms…butonly if you’ll eat them with me.”
I think Maggie was about to turn and call a goodbye into the apartment, but she pauses and looks at me and my candy with surprise.
Then she shifts into the shoulder drop—and grins at me.
Holy fuck.
My jaw gaps loose.Abruptly stunned, I stare at her.
I’m so overcome with love for this new variation that I drop the gummy worms.
While I fumble to catch them and keep them from going all the way down, I hear her reply brightly, “Are you serious?You wanna share them with me?”
“Y-yeah.Yep.”I get them safely returned to my pocket and get one last look at her still-there, not-annoyed stance.
Then I make myself act right and smile decisively, like there’s nothing utterly fucking incredible about these moments at all.
“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” I say.“Unless you hate gummy worms now?”
“I don’t.Actually, I was craving some the other day.Didn’t get any, though, so….”She lifts her shoulders with cute excitement, as if to say,‘Yay.’
A girl after my own heart.
“Oh, nice,” I practically sigh.
“Mmhmm.”
She calls out to Joy that she’s leaving with me, and Joy sings back a goodbye from wherever she is.Then it’s time for us to go.
A few steps into our walk to the elevator, I’m about to stick my hand out to her when she sticks hers out to me first.
God knows I don’t hesitate to slip my fingers through hers.
And that her eagerness matching mine only strengthens everything I’ve been feeling.
CHAPTER
NINE
M A G G I E
“You need a nap, my love,” Joy’s voice floats around me.
I’ve stopped walking in the middle of this cosmetics aisle at the grocery store so I can close my eyes and yawn for the fiftieth time since she picked me up from work.
She went to my annual female appointment with me and is now accompanying me to pick up my birth control refill.I have to admit I wish Luke were here—I haven’t seen him today—but he’s still at work himself since it’s Friday afternoon.Besides, would he have been on Joy’s level of comfort while hanging out in the waiting room at the gynecologist?
Well, actually, I think he’d do okay.Months-ago me would have labeled him too immature, but now I don’t believe he’s the type of guy to get weirded out by female stuff.
