Page 50
Gallagher: What about me?
Brooker: Oh, that ref back in Chicago got * real * flustered when you ran into him
Gallagher: The shorter fella? He wasn’t bad to look at but could you imagine the fuss that’d cause?
Me: Is there anything I can bring? Drinks, desserts?
Ricci: If any of you bring food, I’ll kick your ass. We spent all day cooking my mom’s recipes and if you don’t eat it all with smiles on your face, none of you will be able to play in the next game
Sosa: Oh shit, Mama Ricci’s recipes
Sosa: I’m on my way
Ricci: You should’ve already been on your way, asshole
Me: I just got to Leah’s place. We’ll be there soon
Ricci: You two can be late, I want to get the presents towered nicely
Iset my phone in the cup holder and stepped out of the car and onto Leah’s lawn. She had a small beach bungalow with yellow siding and white trimming. A cute little home. As I approached the door, I couldn’t help but feel like I was intruding on something. This was her place, a place I’d never been invited to, a place she could be all alone, just the way she liked it.
And even though she told me to pick her up, the distance between us still felt too big for me to be allowed here.
Like most weeks since we reconnected, texts have been few and far between. And there had been moments, several of them, particularly on Thanksgiving, where I drafted text after text. But in the end, I always erased every word. I pushed her boundaries by asking to hold her hand, I didn’t want to test her by asking for more.
So with nerves making my knees rattle, I knocked on her door.
“Hey,” Leah said, opening the door all the way before stepping back inside. “I know Ricci said we shouldn’t bring anything, but I kinda sorta panicked at all the kindness and decided to make cookies at the last minute. And they’re still in the oven, so we can’t go yet.”
Seeing I didn’t follow her, she turned back and grabbed my wrist to pull me inside.
The home opened into the living room, which was full of plants and quilts and art supplies and every hobby under the sun. There was nature photography, pathos plants climbing the walls, half finished coloring pages on the coffee table. This was the part of her life I knew nothing about and I was fascinated. My eyes ping-ponged all across the room, clocking each hobby she’d partaken in, trying to gauge which she was more interested in based on how much space it took up.
“Niall?” Leah called, voice short, like she’d been calling my name for a bit.
“Sorry, what?”
“Do you think Ricci will be mad if we’re late because of the cookies?”
“Oh, no. He specifically said we’re allowed to be late.”
“And the cookies?”
I winced. “What about them?”
“Oh my god.” She came over to smack my bicep. “Did he specifically ask people to not bring things?”
“I don’t think that rule applies to you.”
“Niall.” She grabbed my arm and shook me back and forth. “I guess that’s fine,” she finally said, thunking her forehead onto my shoulder. “At least now we don’t have to wait for the cookies to cool before we go.”
“What kind are they?” I asked, taking in a deep breath to smell the chocolate.
“Chocolate, dark chocolate chip, mint.”
“And that is?”
“Chocolate cookie base, but half the sugar is brown sugar. Dark chocolate chips. And Andes mints. The baby has hacked my taste buds and turned all cravings to sweets this week.”
