Page 145 of Falling Backwards
A sharp breath precedes another stomach swoop.
It’s Maggie.
She’s with that group of people because it’smygroup of people.They’ve all arrived at the same time, just before I have.
And she’s crossing in front of my car behind the others, gently illuminated by my headlights.The wind is ruffling her dark hair and causing her to hug herself; she’s in a gray sweater, a short and fitted black skirt, and more sheer black tights.She’s the only one who isn’t chattering—and she’s the only one turning her eyes to me.
Noticing who I am.
Breaking out into a smile.
Picking up her pace to hurry to my window.
I mash the fucking button so hard it hurts my finger.
As the glass lowers, her mouth seems to form the word, “Hi.”Her voice is too light to be heard over the buzzy window and the noise from the parking lot and nearby road.
I try to say, “Hey,” loudly enough, but it’s almost a yell because I’m so oddly rattled.After a moment of surprise, she giggles, which rattles me more and has me babbling, “Sorry for almost hitting you with my car just now.I promise I wasn’t speeding through here.I was just thinking—I was thinking about—uh—”
I’m gesturing at her before I can stop myself.
Between that and how I’m awkwardly apologizing for something Ididn’talmost do, my cheeks are flushing.
Maggie’s amusement gentles away.She tucks her shifting hair behind one ear and lets her eyes drift over my face.
We both open our mouths to speak—but we’re stopped by the honk of a car horn.
I look behind me and see I’m holding up diner traffic.Cool, more embarrassment for me.
“Oh, you better go,” she rushes out, stepping away again.
“I—yeah.See you in a second.”
She gets out of the way and waves apologetically at the car behind me, from which a man calls out, “This ain’t a flirtin’ lot, sweetheart, it’s a parkin’ lot!”
Before she walks out of sight, I glimpse how bashful that makes her feel.
In a way, I want to tell that guy to shut the hell up, but I know he has a point.Maggie and I can…flirt…once we’re both standing on solid ground.
Once I commit to finding a parking space, it doesn’t take long to do.I manage to stay out of La-La Land and walk through the lot without being run over myself.It helps that the temperature has dropped again; though I enjoyed the slightly warmer weather, this chilly wind is good for quickly clearing my head.
As I approach where the group is gathered at a bench outside the entrance, I notice the windisn’tgood for a certain lovely girl who has no coat on.Maggie still has her arms wrapped around herself, looking cold.
She also looks like she’s trying to locate me in the parking lot while the others go on talking and laughing.
I smile about that—and try not to dwell on the ways in which I’d be happy to warm her up—at almost the same time that her eyes land on me.She’s instantly smiling again, too, and coming towards me as I make a beeline for her.
This time when she speaks, I hear it much better: “We meet again.”
In a much more normal tone than before, I say, “And again it delights me.”
And again she giggles.
And again it’s a special kind of music to my ears.
“We have to wait out here until our table is ready,” she tells me.“The indoor waiting area is already full.”
I raise an eyebrow and slip a look over her.“You gonna make it?Where’s your coat?”
