“What kind of more?”
“A real date.”
I said it. Simple. Terrifying. Amy’s fingers stopped tracing the dinosaur’s tail. Not rejection or acceptance. Something warm and uncertain.
“After Thursday,” she said.
The condition was fair. It still stung.
“After Thursday.”
We sat together on the floor, not touching. The distance between our hands seemed louder than the entire house. From upstairs, Gloria called that Amy’s coat was on the chair. The moment ended. At the door, Amy hugged Gloria. She kissed Lola’s forehead while the child remained asleep. Then she turned to me.
“Thank you for dinner.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“I meant what I said.”
“About Christmas?”
Her shoulders lowered.
“About wanting to come if we are still in each other’s lives.”
The condition hurt again.
“Yes.”
She stepped onto the porch. Cool night air moved between us.
“Thursday,” she said.
“Thursday.”
Amy walked toward the waiting car. I watched until she was gone. When I closed the door, Gloria stood in the hallway.
“You set a date?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“I hate you.”
“No, you don’t.”
The sleeping child, dinosaur book, flowers, and empty place where Amy had sat answered for me.
“No,” I said. “I don’t.”
Thursday waited four days away. For three years, I had hidden the worst moment of my life because I believed the truth would change how people saw me. Now the woman I wanted wasasking to see me clearly. And I had no idea whether I could survive being seen.
Chapter Fifteen
How Well Do You Know Your Girlfriend?
Amy
