Page 42 of Fall Into You
“Can we go home now?” she asks in a breathy voice.
I look down into her hungry eyes and reply with, “Fuck. Yes.”
She laughs at my eagerness and tells me she needs to use the restroom first. We walk back to our table to pick up her purse and wrap and say goodnight to our friends from the table. Dr. Parker looks truly disappointed by our—more specifically, Liza’s—departure, but he tells her that he’s happy he got to meet her.
I kiss her on the cheek before she disappears through the restroom doors, and I stand a few feet away to wait for her.
“Matt?” I turn to a voice behind me and see Gurash, an old buddy of mine from med school.
“Guru! Dude! I haven’t seen you in forever!” We hug in an unexpected burst of emotion (must be all the time I’ve been spending with Liza). “Where’ve you been?”
“Man, I stayed in New York after graduation. Did my residency at Cornell-Weill and am working at a practice there, too, but my girlfriend works for NYU, so that’s why I’m here tonight,” he says excitedly.
“Whoa, awesome, man. I, for sure, thought you’d end up going back to California,” I say. Guru was one of my really close friends while studying at Columbia. I haven’t seen him in ages, but he doesn’t look like he’s changed much—just that he’s been to the gym a lot.
“Naw,” he says, scratching the back of his head. “My girlfriend convinced me to stay in the city.” He laughs sheepishly. “But it’s fine. I mean, I don’t regret it. Plus, I get to see Vinny every day again.”
My stomach drops. “What do you mean?” My heart starts racing because I justknowwhat the next words out of his mouth are going to be, and I’m here on a date with the last person I should be seen with. I need to get out of here and text Liza to meet me in front of the building ASAP.
“I mean Vinny and I now work at the same practice. Isn’t that cool?” He smiles and smacks me on the shoulder. “So, who are you here with anyway?”
IFIXmy hair in the mirror of the bathroom, tucking some strands that have come out of my braid back into place. I take a minute to inspect the woman in the reflection, having a hard time recognizing her. She’s smiling, cheeks flushed, a sparkle dancing in her dark eyes. She lookshappy.
I sigh deeply, bringing my hands to touch the new necklace around my neck. Sure, it’s not the one my dad gave me, but it’s important to me, too, given to me by the man currently waiting for me outside, waiting patiently as he has been for about a month since we first reconnected in Sag Harbor during that Columbus Day weekend at my mother’s house.
He’s so good to me.
This week with Matt has been pure bliss—and not in aThe Bachelortype of way, where you go zip-lining on dates and end your nights with a dinner on a boat and a live band no one has heard of playing in the background just for the two of you. Nope. I mean it in the real way. Like I told Matt, I thought love and being in a relationship was just dinners, flowers, telling me I’m pretty—cliché stuff.
Now I know that, even though those things are fun and nice, love is also about the real things. Like remembering to bring home your favorite Indian food without even having to ask. Or coming over to your apartment and just sitting quietly next to each other while you both work just so you can be in the same room together, just so you can feel close. I realize now that true love is in the little things as much as it is in the big things. Big things like having your mother make the girl you’re dating a similar necklace for her after she loses it.
I definitely love him.
I’m not 100% sure that I’m ready to say it out loud—I don’t think I’m brave enough to yet—but I think I understand what Vinny meant that day in Mom’s kitchen when he said I had never been in love. I think he was right. I’ve never felt this way before.
I love him when he massages my feet. I love him when I run my fingers through his beard. I love him when he comes over, exhausted after a long day of work, and falls asleep on my couch with his neck snapped back, mouth gaping open, drooling. I love him when he makes me laugh. And I love him when he makes love to me.
I’m totally gone here.
I may not be able to tell him how much I care about him yet because I’m a little coward, but I make a promise to myself right here, right now that I will always, from this day forth, not let a second go by without him feeling absolutely loved.
With my new mission in mind, I wash and dry my hands and, with a final glance in the mirror, exit the bathroom to meet the man that’s changed me for good—for the better.
ISPYMatt a few feet from the bathroom door, his back to me, and I smile, excited that I get to go home with him now, not really caring whether it’s to have some sexy time or just cuddle up on the couch—I swear both activities are fine by me at the moment. He’s talking to someone, but I can’t really make out his face. As I get closer, though, I see who it is and come to a screeching halt, almost falling flat on my face as the heel of my shoe tangles in the train of my dress, and I nearly knock over a very nice waiter with a tray full of stuffed mushroom caps.
“Liza? Is that you?” my brother’s friend and business partner asks. “It’s so weird to see you here!”
“Guru! Hi!” I’m totally not freaking out right now, and it’s definitely not showing on my face or in the sound of my voice. “How’s it going?”
Guru’s arms wrap around me, and I look at Matt over his shoulder, eyes wide with panic, trying to communicate with him that we need to get out of this situation as quickly and as delicately as possible.
He stares back, his expression resembling what I imagine mine looks like, telling me he understands and that he’ll let me take the lead here.
I totally get the whole couples’ mind-reading thing now, and he and I have it down to near perfection—even if it hasn’t been that long.
“Good, everything’s good! You remember Matt? He went to school with your brother and me,” Guru introduces Matt to me, and I stick out my hand to him.
“Yeah, I think I remember you. Nice to see you again.” I smile. Matt takes my hand and shakes it, but his expression is cold, lips thin. He is definitely not happy right now.
