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Niko gave one loud bark at the sound of the doorbell. I was changing out of my scrubs, pulling an oversized t-shirt over my head. I was only expecting one person—Jamie. A girls’ night was in order. I had been teasing her about small little details from the day at carnival, saying there was too much to tell during our break at work, so she insisted she come over. I had grabbed a bottle of wine on my way home, and Jamie said she would bring tacos from my favorite taco stand. This night was definitely needed.
The doorbell rang one more time. Jamie was obviously very persistent. I chuckled and ran out of my room, swinging the door open in one fail swoop.
Except it wasn’t Jamie.
Milo stood at my door frame, one hand holding his body up on the side of the house, as if he needed balance. His other arm hung down next to his body, shaking just a tiny bit. His brow was creased, and he let out a long sigh once the door opened. His posture straightened slightly, and a faint smile formed on his lips.
“Hey,” I laughed at him. “I wasn’t expecting you tonight. Did you leave your key in the car or something?” I asked, letting go of the door to give him room to walk in.
His breath shook. “No…”
“Come on in. I mean…” I turned my back, thinking he was just going to follow me. “Jamie is on her way over, and we are going to have a girls’ night; but you’re welcome to join if you want to. Just be prepared for her to mention your perio pockets…”
“Madeline.”
His voice sounded different, deeper with a sense of urgency. I turned back, noticing he was still standing in my doorway. I tilted my head and waved him inside. “Come in.”
“Go out with me,” he said simply, his eyes meeting mine. His voice was low, a breathy air that left his lungs as he said the words I could tell were hanging by a thread.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Um…what?” I internally slapped myself. That was all I could muster to say?Um…what?
“Let me take you on a date, a real one.” He dropped his hand that was resting on the frame, taking one step closer to me. “I want to take you out on a date that you deserve.” His voice grew lower, almost a whisper, as if he were afraid that others would hear this. As if he wanted to keep this simple moment between us.
I swallowed and met him gaze. “When?” I managed to mutter.
He inhaled. “Sunday, before the busy work week begins.”
“In two days?” I widened my eyes, raising my brow.
He nodded, taking yet another step closer to me. “In two days. I’ll plan everything and give you all the details tomorrow. Well,”—his shoulders relaxed, and he rolled his eyes at himself—“not all the details, but the basic…time…etcetera.” Milo grinned. His eyes lit up—the sparkle in the blue—and my legs turned to butter.
I nodded back, slumping my shoulders in. “I’d, um…” I chuckled under my breath. Milo was really…truly…asking me out on a date.
What would happen if I said yes? What would happen if it ended the same way it did all those years ago? What would happen if it ended the complete opposite, and I fell in love with Milo for real this time? What if this was meant to happen? If we went on a date, and it ended up changing us forever?
I swallowed and finally heard myself whisper, “I’d love to.”
Milo bit his bottom lip as his smile grew. “Perfect. Um…” As if some kind of trance was broken, he stepped away from me and farther back on the deck. “I’ll text you tomorrow, and I’ll pick you on Sunday.”
I bit the inside of my lip and nodded quickly, watching him stuff his hands in his pockets and walk backward down my steps, slowly turning his body to go to his truck. I watched until he turned the ignition and drove away, my mind in a constant fog where the only thing it could concentrate on was Milo.
Milo.
Milo asked me out on a date!
Holy cow…
Milo asked me out on a date.
I went back inside and leaned against the door. I suddenly felt like every heroine in the movies. Down on my luck after being cheated on and dumped, only to find my hero at the right moment. Except, I wasn’t exactly down on my luck—sure, I had been cheated on and dumped—but before then, I was okay. Or maybe I justthoughtI was okay.
What felt like seconds after I had shut the door, my doorbell rang again, pulling me back from my fog that was centered on my brain. I shuddered and opened the door, Jamie’s smiling glow pushing through to my living room.
“You have no idea how much I need to hear this story about the carnival. You’ve been holding it over me for too long, and I need to know all the details.” She set the bag of tacos on my coffee table and then turned back to look at me, her smile even wider than before.
I just stared at her, pretty sure my eyes were glossed over. Her smile faded, and her eyes widened.
