Page 38 of The Luck of Finding You
MoReads:Reading anything good this fine Friday evening?
MoReads:I’m almost done with book three. I will totally finish rereading all four books before next week!
MoReads: Can’t wait to meet you!
My empty mug of hot chocolate is on the coffee table, and I’m nearly done with my chapter when the doorbell to my apartment rings. Mo sits up, looking at me.
“Who do you think that could be, buddy?” I’m not expecting anyone tonight. I didn’t order food, and the only people who know I live here are Tally and Olivia. But I’m surprised when I open the door and see Tally standing on my doorstep.
“Um. Hi.” She gives a small wave.
“Everything okay?” I ask her. We worked together all afternoon, so this is a big surprise.
“Yeah. I, uh.” She swallows. Her cheeks are pink, but it’s not that cold outside. I can’t help but smile at her though, because she showed up here unannounced and that has to mean something, right?We’re just friends,I have to remind myself.
“Gran had bingo night at our house, and I just needed to get out. I hope it’s okay that I came here. I brought food.” She holds up a bag that smells like tacos. “Tacos,” she says, as if hearing my thoughts. “Gran had a coupon to get like five free, so I have a lot of tacos.”
“Come on up,” I say, holding the door open so she can come in. I haven’t ever seen her this way since the first day I met her, and I like it. Lately, she’s always got some sort of grumpy face or attitude going on, so the fact that she showed up here, of her own free will, with a smile on her face? Yeah, I’m letting her in the door.
Mo barks once as soon as he sees us, then lies back down on his bed cushion by the dining table. I swear he’s the world’s laziest dog most of the time. But I still love him and I hope someday Tally will too.
Tally drops the bag of tacos on the table, and I grab my mug. “Want something to drink?”
“Water is fine,” Tally says.
I grab her a bottled water and then sit across from her at the small table.
Tally unloads the bag she brought with her. She wasn’t wrong about there being a lot of tacos. There's way more than two people need.
“Gosh, this is weird.” Tally breaks the silence and looks up to find me already watching her. She blushes.
“Why?” The moment she walked in that door, it felt the opposite of weird. I would love to spend every evening with her, relaxing and talking and eating. As well as doing more than that, but I put a stop to those thoughts, even though her lips look extremely kissable tonight.
Tally shakes her head. “I just—I used to come over here when Gran did her bingo nights. Marsha and I would talk about whatever books we were reading, and she’d make us dinner…”
“You miss her.” And now I’ve got another piece to the Tally-puzzle that I’m slowly putting together. She acts tough, and she is tough, but she’s also been through hell. I can’t imagine what it would be like to lose your mom and then one of your friends a few years later.
Tally nods, biting her lip.I will not think about kissing her. “It’s not like losing Mom, but it’s also exactly the same.”
I reach over the table and put my hand on top of hers, and she doesn’t pull away. “Losing someone is always hard.”
Tally blinks furiously as if she’s trying to rid herself of all emotion. When she smiles at me a moment later, it’s like she’s shoved down all the grief and is putting on a happy face for my sake. I want to tell her that she doesn’t need to do that, that I’m not going to run just because she has feelings. But she pulls her hand away from mine and grabs a taco. “Should we eat?”
We need to talk about what just happened, how she doesn’t need to hide her feelings from me. But my gut is telling me that right this second is not the time for that conversation. “We can eat.”
Tally shuffles at least five tacos toward her and begins opening one. I follow her lead and grab a few and a package of hot sauce.
“So,” I say once we’re both one taco in, “what have you been reading?”
Tally freezes for a split second before she recovers. “I’m reading Simone’s books again. I’ve got about three chapters left of book three.”
“No way!” I jump up and grab my own copy from the couch. After Nora told me a few days ago that she was already on book three, I stayed up way too late the other night to finish the second book so I could catch up. “I’ve got like two chapters left.”
Tally blushes furiously and I have to bite my cheek to hold in my grin. Apparently, my reading the same book as her makes her blush.
“I’m also reading that book you read last month. The one from book club,” I say, watching her reaction closely. She was right, the book has got some serious steam, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t her I’ve been thinking about as I’ve read it. The main character reminds me so much of Tally, trying to be strong and do everything on her own, refusing love, even though it could be a joyous part of her life.
Tally happened to be taking that exact moment to take a sip of water, and now she’s choking.
