Knocking on the door, I stepped inside when she hollered, “Come in.”
The space had always been bigger than it looked from the outside. Grandma Liv had made changes to the décor, making it feel more modern, almost like those new tiny homes. White walls had been painted gray. Instead of the brown plush carpet, she’d installed plank vinyl throughout.
“Up here!”
I climbed the stairs to the upper floor, then stepped onto the rooftop deck. “Hi.”
Albany was stretched out on the built-in sectional. “Hi.”
“This is different.” I sat next to her and passed her a glass of champagne.
“Right? It’s like a little oasis.”
Instead of wood, the terrace was clad with tiles. Potted plants and trees lined the perimeter of the space. Lights hung from the awning over a small outdoor kitchen. “Is Grandma Liv hoping to rent the space out?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not that I know of.”
“Do you come up here a lot?”
Albany glanced at me. “I haven’t been since … about sixteen years ago.” She squeezed my hands. “This place was magic. We thought we were the shit. Acting like adults. Having dinner parties.”
“Grandma Liv was cool as hell, letting us just be here with minimal supervision. Still scared of fireworks?”
She scoffed. “Are you crazy? That was so long ago.”
One holiday, she’d been hit by a wayward bottle rocket. That night, I thought my entire world was ending. I confessed my love to her. In my head, though. I was only twelve.
“I even light them myself now,” she added proudly. “Darrell’s family had a summer home, and we’d go there for the holidays sometimes. I helped with the kiddie fireworks.”
The cryptic talk surrounding Albany’s ex had always made me wonder what the hell she’d seen in him. “How did you ever love him?”
“Mo said something to me, and it resonated. I didn’t love Darrell the way I should’ve loved the man I married. I was with him because he wasn’t you. I needed to be with someone who couldn’t hurt me.”
“He did, though.”
“Oh yeah. In hindsight, though, it hurt more because I knew better. I knew it wasn’t right, that I was doing it for all the wrong reasons, but I walked down that aisle anyway. You know I’ve always been harder on myself than anybody else.”
My throat burned as shame rolled through me. The fact that she’d charged into a relationship with that muthafucka to escape her feelings for me made me sick. “I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t apologize anymore, Wes. I heard you the first hundred times.”
I cracked up. “Wow.”
She cupped my face. “My decisions were my own.” She kissed me. “But I’m glad I’m here with you now. Full circle moment.”
I traced the side of her face with a finger. “I thought the same thing.”
“Some things never change.”
A long time ago, she’d mused that we had the same brain because we always seemed to be thinking the same thing at the same time. “Right,” I agreed.
“Wes.”
“Bug.”
She giggled. “You go.”
“No, ladies first.”
