smelled my arms and hands and then realized how challenged I must look. But she was absolutely right. I smelled like—baby.
Me: I do. And I possibly just embarrassed myself in the pizza place smelling myself. Thanks for that.
Hayes: Anytime.
Me: Wanna hang out? I can bring pizza.
Hayes: Sure. I’m starving.
Me: I’ll be there soon.
I added another large to the order and had to wait a few more minutes. I dropped off the pizzas. Reed and Veyda were up. Veyda was a carbon copy of her sister except she had blue eyes. And Reed was so calm and collected, like she’d prepped for this all along and was just basking in the glow of it. I made my excuses and Nellie just had to add her two cents.
“You’re going to see Hayes?”
“Maybe.”
“You owe me one little bro. I totally knew the baby pic would make her melt.”
“I certainly do owe you one.”
“Pick her up flowers,” Falcon added.
“Okay, anyone else?” I asked the room.
Reed chimed in, “Chocolate ice cream.”
“Ok, bye.”
“Bye, lover boy!” Nellie yelled and while I closed the door, I could hear everyone shushing her.
I drove to the store and picked up ice cream, per Reed’s instructions and then stopped at a florist and picked up daisies, per Falcon’s. Then I drove to her apartment, got everything out and barely managed to knock on the door with everything in my hands.
Hayes opened the door a few seconds later, “Hey! Oh good grief!” She tried to take something from my hands. She took the ice cream since it was in a bag looped around my fingers cutting off my circulation. I stumbled in and put the pizza on the table per her request. She put the ice cream in the freezer and I handed her the flowers, wishing I had something poetic to go with them.
“How are the babies and Reed?”
“Reed looks great. And those babies, well, before today I’d never held a baby and now I’ve held two. They are just beautiful.”
She sighed, “Do you think they’d mind if I went over there?”
“No, not at all. We can go before lunch on Saturday if you want.”
“That would be great. So…”
“So what?” Crap, I’d done something wrong.
“Are you gonna let me smell you?”
I laughed but didn’t know how to proceed. I stiffened in place. What was I supposed to do here? I bet there wasn’t an effing eighties movie that covered this situation.
And then she barreled into me, her arms gripped my shirt at my waist on my back. Her face burrowed into my chest, but still I was cemented in place.
“You’re supposed to hug back,” she mumbled against my shirt. I could feel the heat of her breath right against my sternum. And that one breath veined through my system, eking and growing until my whole body was trembling in the after effects. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if and when I kissed her, or if she kissed me.
After I delayed, she grabbed my arms and flopped them behind her back.
“Come on, I’m not that bad, am I?”
Hayes looked up at me with doleful eyes, looking for something I didn’t know whether or not I could give her. I didn’t want our first kiss to be like this. Our first kiss needed to be after another fantastic
Me: I do. And I possibly just embarrassed myself in the pizza place smelling myself. Thanks for that.
Hayes: Anytime.
Me: Wanna hang out? I can bring pizza.
Hayes: Sure. I’m starving.
Me: I’ll be there soon.
I added another large to the order and had to wait a few more minutes. I dropped off the pizzas. Reed and Veyda were up. Veyda was a carbon copy of her sister except she had blue eyes. And Reed was so calm and collected, like she’d prepped for this all along and was just basking in the glow of it. I made my excuses and Nellie just had to add her two cents.
“You’re going to see Hayes?”
“Maybe.”
“You owe me one little bro. I totally knew the baby pic would make her melt.”
“I certainly do owe you one.”
“Pick her up flowers,” Falcon added.
“Okay, anyone else?” I asked the room.
Reed chimed in, “Chocolate ice cream.”
“Ok, bye.”
“Bye, lover boy!” Nellie yelled and while I closed the door, I could hear everyone shushing her.
I drove to the store and picked up ice cream, per Reed’s instructions and then stopped at a florist and picked up daisies, per Falcon’s. Then I drove to her apartment, got everything out and barely managed to knock on the door with everything in my hands.
Hayes opened the door a few seconds later, “Hey! Oh good grief!” She tried to take something from my hands. She took the ice cream since it was in a bag looped around my fingers cutting off my circulation. I stumbled in and put the pizza on the table per her request. She put the ice cream in the freezer and I handed her the flowers, wishing I had something poetic to go with them.
“How are the babies and Reed?”
“Reed looks great. And those babies, well, before today I’d never held a baby and now I’ve held two. They are just beautiful.”
She sighed, “Do you think they’d mind if I went over there?”
“No, not at all. We can go before lunch on Saturday if you want.”
“That would be great. So…”
“So what?” Crap, I’d done something wrong.
“Are you gonna let me smell you?”
I laughed but didn’t know how to proceed. I stiffened in place. What was I supposed to do here? I bet there wasn’t an effing eighties movie that covered this situation.
And then she barreled into me, her arms gripped my shirt at my waist on my back. Her face burrowed into my chest, but still I was cemented in place.
“You’re supposed to hug back,” she mumbled against my shirt. I could feel the heat of her breath right against my sternum. And that one breath veined through my system, eking and growing until my whole body was trembling in the after effects. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if and when I kissed her, or if she kissed me.
After I delayed, she grabbed my arms and flopped them behind her back.
“Come on, I’m not that bad, am I?”
Hayes looked up at me with doleful eyes, looking for something I didn’t know whether or not I could give her. I didn’t want our first kiss to be like this. Our first kiss needed to be after another fantastic
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