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She laughed even hard and forced a big deep breath. “Okay, okay, Uncie Roman!” she cried.
I went to let go of her, but she was laughing so hard that I felt her falling as soon as I did. Instinctively, my arms tightened on her just as she overbalanced. She pulled me to the floor where we fell in a pile of laughter. My arms held her tight for a moment and she held me back.
Eventually, our laughter subsided and just lay there, our bodies overlapped all over the place. We both breathed heavily as we settled down. I had no inclination to move, and I was happier than I should have been when it seemed she didn’t either. There was something so nice about just lying there, connected to her, and it not just be all about sex.
“No music tonight?” she asked me.
I felt myself smile. “Didn’t want to interrupt your pity party.”
She took my hand and such a simple action had never felt so right. “I kind of like your music.”
“Really?” I asked as my thumb brushed gently over the back of her hand absently.
I felt her nod. “Yeah, seems…suitable.”
“Huh,” I huffed. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, careful not to disturb the hand that held hers. I wasn’t in a hurry for her to let go. I turned the music on and we just lay companionably for a while.
“Barlow?” I finally asked, not knowing what was spurring me on.
“Hm?”
“What are your plans for next year?”
“What?” she asked and I couldn’t get a proper read on her reaction.
I suddenly felt bad for prying. It wasn’t my business. I shouldn’t have said anything.
“I mean, you don’t have to tell me or anything. I just wondered.”
She rearranged her head on my arm. “No. I… Um, well uni in Adelaide I guess.”
That made sense. It’s what most of the kids from our town did. It was either uni in Adelaide, stay home and drink too much, or help out on the family property. Piper had never struck me as suiting the latter two.
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
She didn’t say anymore and I felt like I’d done the wrong thing. I felt like the night before where I’d been too honest and she’d obviously been angry with me. I felt like I’d pushed where I didn’t have a right to be. But she still held my hand and lay on my arm.
I had to ask, “You okay?”
She nodded against me. “Uh, yeah. I just… Sorry,” she sighed.
“What for?” I couldn’t think what she possibly had to apologise to me for.
She shrugged and sat up. Our hands slipped from one another’s, but her leg still lay over mine so I hoped I wasn’t in the process of pushing her away for good. I put my hands under my head and tried to be patient.
“You don’t want to hear all my unnecessary, inexplicable shit, Lombardi,” she said.
I couldn’t have that. “How about a new rule?”
She looked at me over her shoulder and asked, “New rule?”
I nodded. “Yeah. We don’t apologise.”
“We don’t…?” She cocked her head sideways like she couldn’t understand the idea.
Feeling more confident in my hasty words, I nodded. “Yeah. You just be, Barlow, and I’ll accept you as is. You never have to apologise to me for anything. You want to be in a shit? Be in a shit and I’ll take you as you are. You want to be ridiculously, annoyingly happy? I’ll take that, too – although I reserve the right to tease you a little. You can’t or don’t want to talk? No judgements. No apologies, Piper. We just be ourselves.”
She took a breath as she looked me over. What was it about her that made me so…the way I was with her? I was open and honest. I didn’t really realise I thought something until I was telling her. Because I would. I’d take her however she was. Any version of her that she wanted to give me was more than enough.
