asked. She nodded and slipped in beside him as the driver shut their door. The taxi delivered them to the bus station, and they were quickly settled into their seats for the ride to Lancaster.
“I brought sustenance,” she said pulling out a paper sack from her purse. “My very best peanut butter cookies and a thermos of coffee.”
“You’re so prepared.”
“I bake when I’m nervous,” she admitted biting her lip.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“Did you tell them I’m coming at least?”
“The whole no phone thing kind of zeroed out that plan.”
“Right.” Her face fell slightly.
“Don’t worry. Seriously, girls always over think these things.”
“Do you bring a lot of girls home?” she asked as the bus pulled out of the city and onto the highway. They had a two-hour ride ahead of them and Abel wasn’t all too keen on spending it rehashing past relationships.
“Bringing girls home isn’t really an Amish thing, everything is discreet. I only courted one girl, Esther.”
“And when did you guys break up?” Marigold asked. Even though Abel was bright, he hadn’t exactly thought through how all of this would sound.
“Two weeks ago, on my way out of town,” he admitted sheepishly.
“No!” She buried her hands in her face. “So I’m a rebound girl?”
“I don’t know what that is, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t good. And you, Marigold, you are good. You are only good.”
“Who was she?”
“Esther?”
Marigold nodded so Abel explained, “She’s my sister Bekah’s best friend. Which I know doesn’t sound great, but she already moved to Ohio. You won’t even see her.”
A groan escaped her lips. “This is going to so be bad, you know that, right?”
“What part especially?”
“Oh my goodness, Abel, you are such a guy!”
“Well, tell me about the guys you’ve brought home.”
“I didn’t bring anyone home either. I mean, I went out with a guy last year for a few months, Drake, but he was ridiculous, and anyways he left for Stanford. I mean it was nothing serious-serious. And then this guy who works at the Jamestown library took me out a few times last summer.”
“What happened with him?”
“He wanted to get in my dad’s pants that’s what.” She grimaced. “Sorry, that’s probably totally inappropriate. You need to tell me what’s okay to talk about. I mean, I’m pretty sure my father’s trousers aren’t PC, but what is?”
“We can talk about that in a minute, what I want to know is, why only two guys? Why wouldn’t a girl like you have dated more?”
She stood to lower the window and let her hand feel the wind, then turned back to him, her hair flying out the opened pane. He wanted to capture her with a camera, even though photographs were forbidden. He wanted to see that girl, the one so free, always.
“I went through lots of phases, Abel. And it kind of kept people at a distance, like they didn’t know what to make of me. I was a mystery, and not so interested in anyone I saw. I went to this crazy fancy prep school and everyone was just like my sister and brother, so cookie-cutter. So not me.”
“You were like the Zelda girl in my group.”
“Is that a video game reference?”
“I think so.”
“Right good, Abel you’re so culturally relevant.” She pushed her hand against his chest, and kept it there.
“The Zelda girl though, she wears this outfit everyday, and I didn’t even now it was a costume until my roommate Lacey explained it. I thought she was really into family crests, because she wears one on her back, but apparently it is Hyrule’s, the city she lives in.”
“The kingdom you mean, she’s the Hyrule Princess,” Marigold clarified.
“Right, so I may have a few gaps in my Hyrulian education. Anyways, she wears this outfit everyday and is kind of an outsider, which says a lot coming from me.”
Marigold licked her lips before answering, “Yeah, I was the Zelda girl.”
Then he kissed her, grateful there
“I brought sustenance,” she said pulling out a paper sack from her purse. “My very best peanut butter cookies and a thermos of coffee.”
“You’re so prepared.”
“I bake when I’m nervous,” she admitted biting her lip.
“Don’t be nervous.”
“Did you tell them I’m coming at least?”
“The whole no phone thing kind of zeroed out that plan.”
“Right.” Her face fell slightly.
“Don’t worry. Seriously, girls always over think these things.”
“Do you bring a lot of girls home?” she asked as the bus pulled out of the city and onto the highway. They had a two-hour ride ahead of them and Abel wasn’t all too keen on spending it rehashing past relationships.
“Bringing girls home isn’t really an Amish thing, everything is discreet. I only courted one girl, Esther.”
“And when did you guys break up?” Marigold asked. Even though Abel was bright, he hadn’t exactly thought through how all of this would sound.
“Two weeks ago, on my way out of town,” he admitted sheepishly.
“No!” She buried her hands in her face. “So I’m a rebound girl?”
“I don’t know what that is, but I’m pretty sure it isn’t good. And you, Marigold, you are good. You are only good.”
“Who was she?”
“Esther?”
Marigold nodded so Abel explained, “She’s my sister Bekah’s best friend. Which I know doesn’t sound great, but she already moved to Ohio. You won’t even see her.”
A groan escaped her lips. “This is going to so be bad, you know that, right?”
“What part especially?”
“Oh my goodness, Abel, you are such a guy!”
“Well, tell me about the guys you’ve brought home.”
“I didn’t bring anyone home either. I mean, I went out with a guy last year for a few months, Drake, but he was ridiculous, and anyways he left for Stanford. I mean it was nothing serious-serious. And then this guy who works at the Jamestown library took me out a few times last summer.”
“What happened with him?”
“He wanted to get in my dad’s pants that’s what.” She grimaced. “Sorry, that’s probably totally inappropriate. You need to tell me what’s okay to talk about. I mean, I’m pretty sure my father’s trousers aren’t PC, but what is?”
“We can talk about that in a minute, what I want to know is, why only two guys? Why wouldn’t a girl like you have dated more?”
She stood to lower the window and let her hand feel the wind, then turned back to him, her hair flying out the opened pane. He wanted to capture her with a camera, even though photographs were forbidden. He wanted to see that girl, the one so free, always.
“I went through lots of phases, Abel. And it kind of kept people at a distance, like they didn’t know what to make of me. I was a mystery, and not so interested in anyone I saw. I went to this crazy fancy prep school and everyone was just like my sister and brother, so cookie-cutter. So not me.”
“You were like the Zelda girl in my group.”
“Is that a video game reference?”
“I think so.”
“Right good, Abel you’re so culturally relevant.” She pushed her hand against his chest, and kept it there.
“The Zelda girl though, she wears this outfit everyday, and I didn’t even now it was a costume until my roommate Lacey explained it. I thought she was really into family crests, because she wears one on her back, but apparently it is Hyrule’s, the city she lives in.”
“The kingdom you mean, she’s the Hyrule Princess,” Marigold clarified.
“Right, so I may have a few gaps in my Hyrulian education. Anyways, she wears this outfit everyday and is kind of an outsider, which says a lot coming from me.”
Marigold licked her lips before answering, “Yeah, I was the Zelda girl.”
Then he kissed her, grateful there
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