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An eruption of words clogged my throat: that I’d do anything to make her happy, that I would have taken a hit if it meant fixing her relationship with her brother, that I loved her. I choked them all back with a nod.
“What are we watching?” I asked, scooping up the sandwich and taking a huge bite. Runny yolk dripped out the side and both sides of the bun were toasted with butter. Heavenly.
“I’m not starting a new TV series with you since you’re abandoning me.”
“Fair,” I conceded. “How about a movie?”
I finished my breakfast while Nora flipped through the various options on-screen.
“What should we watch?”
“What’s that movie you love?” I asked, setting the empty plate onto the coffee table and relaxing back onto the couch.
“An Affair to Remember?” She straightened, brown eyes wide as she stared at me. A slow grin spread across her lips.
“Yes, that one.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me to watch it,” she said with a level of glee that made me laugh.
“You could have asked.”
“No,” she said, navigating to the movie. “You have towantto see it. Or else you might not like it and, I’m sorry, but I can’t be with someone who doesn’t adore this movie.”
My ears perked at how she didn’t say “can’t be married,” she said, “can’t be with.” She caught the slip too, ducking her head as she found the movie.
“Now I’m worried I oversold it,” she admitted, holding the remote aloft but not pressing play.
“I’ll love it,” I insisted.
Her mouth twisted. “What if you don’t?”
“How could I not?” I asked, omitting the second sentence from my thought.Because I love you.
“Do you even like old movies?”
I laughed. “Weren’t you just excited that I wanted to watch this? I don’t know why you’re backtracking.”
She set the remote aside. “Because I made it important that you love it. And if you don’t love it, I’ll be heartbroken.”
Heartbroken. I hung onto that word, letting it warm my chest. “Heartbroken, huh?”
Splotches of red moved up her neck and onto her cheeks. “I’d be very upset if you didn’t like it.”
She amended the comment too late. I leaned toward her, dipping my head and kissing her forehead. “You said heartbroken.”
“I was being dramatic,” she murmured, tilting her head up, bottom lip disappearing into her mouth.
I shook my head. “You’re not the dramatic type, Nora.”
“No, but maybe I’d be a little heartbroken.”
I wanted to watch the movie. I even kept my eyes open through the cruise ship and into Italy. But little by little, tucked into the couch next to Nora, Trashcan wedged between us, my eyes grew heavy and each blink lasted just a little longer than the last.
I woke in Nora’s lap, her fingers running through my hair.
“How long have I been out?” I asked, noting a different movie playing than the one I fell asleep to.
“Three hours. I pushed you off me to take the puppy out. When I came back, you attached yourself to my side. Like an octopus.” She tickled my ear, her voice teasing. “You didn’t get enough sleep at Cal’s?”
