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“Yeah. You’re right. Thanks.”
Standing there in front of her, our eyes locked and warmth between us, was one of those times when a normal couple would’ve kissed, but our situation was anything but normal. We weren’t a couple.
Instead, she slipped her hand from mine and looked away.
“Well, here goes nothing.”
The rest of the morning went by as usual. I finished my coffee and had a light breakfast before heading off to work. I’d scheduled an easy Friday at the office, knowing I didn’t want to be too busy, so my head was right for the evening. A few checkups were all I had to take care of, and when three rolled around, I checked out early.
I hoped the evening would go well. The last thing I wanted was for things to be strained between Sadie and her parents – she was going to need their support as a new mother, and I didn’t want them to miss out on their grandkids’ lives.
The kids were asleep when I got back, Sadie sprawled out on the sectional in the living room, the early evening sun pouring in and making her look even more like an angel than she already did.
She was dressed in a sweatshirt and a pair of shorts, the tattoo on her leg visible.
My gaze lingered on that tattoo for a good long while. So strange to think how such a small little bit of ink was enough to change my life forever.
Sadie rolled over, opening her eyes slowly, a small smile on her lips.
“See something you like?” she asked.
I chuckled. “That’s quite a thing to say for someone who made a big production out of nothing happening between us.”
She rose, her hair falling down onto her shoulders.
“Hey, you started it by looking at me like that.”
I reached forward and tapped her tattoo. “I was looking at this. What does this even mean, anyway?”
She scoffed, shaking her head. “It’s stupid; just a tattoo I got when I was a kid.”
“A kid?”
“Well, right after I turned eighteen – that’s a kid, as far as I’m concerned.”
I stepped over to the bar, some whiskey sounding damn good. “What does it mean, though?”
“Well, I’m an English major.Wasan English major.” She leaned over and checked the twins, both of them sleeping soundly. “A friend and I both really wanted to get tattoos when we turned eighteen, kind of a ‘we’re finally adults’ sort of thing.”
I nodded for her to go on as I poured a small finger of whisky into a glass.
“And my thinking at the time ? keep in mind I was eighteen ? was that books were my everything, that they were the reason I was where I was. And my life was the tree growing out of them.”
“Makes sense. And very symbolic.”
She laughed. “I was convinced I was so damn smart. Anyway, they don’t have titles, but these are supposed to be my three favorite books.”
“Yeah? Which ones?”
Sadie raised her eyebrows. “You really want to know?”
Her reaction confused me. “Yeah, of course I do.”
“Well…this top one isGreat Expectations– total classic, read it when I was ten and it blew me away, made me realize how good books could be.” She moved her finger from the top book to the middle. It took all the restraint I had to not ogle her bare leg. “This one is1984. Another obvious classic, sure, but this made me realize thepowerof books, how they can create a new world with its own rules and make you get lost in it. And then…” she moved her fingertip to the bottom. “This one’s Harry Potter. Because…come on! How can you not love Harry Potter? It’s a little silly, but I read Harry Potter when I was in the middle of reading all these serious books, and, well, they reminded me that books can be fun. Not everything has to be Moby Dick.” She raised her finger. “Which is amazing, by the way.”
I loved listening to her talk. I could’ve spent hours sitting there, sipping my whiskey, and letting her go on about the books she loved.
“So, yeah – kinda dumb. But that’s life, you know?”
