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COCO
Iswear, I wasn’t staring at the clock. I just happened to notice when it turned from 7:59 to 8:00. Just happened to be looking at the cable box as I was pressing buttons on my remote and trying to find something—anything—to watch that wouldn’t remind me of Magnus. I wasn’t intentionally watching for when the actual dinner part of the rehearsal dinner had been scheduled to start. And even if I were, I’d never admit it.
Frustrated, I pressed the off button and threw the remote across the couch. The neighborhood was too quiet, everyone seemingly at the banquet hall to celebrate the impending nuptials of Nico and Fiona. Whatever—I was happy for them to have found their happily ever after. Mine? Well…I was pretty sure I’d lost any chance of living it out. I shouldn’t have felt that way—Magnus and I had only known each other a few days—but something deep inside me told me he was it. My one. My lobster.
Ooh, maybe I could find some oldFriendsreruns.
Wait…no. With my luck, it would be the “we were on a break” ones. No. Darn that Ross.
My phone buzzed on the table, and I reached for it more out of habit than anything else. Misty was calling—not texting or Instagramming or WhatsApping, but calling. So weird. I swiped to answer anyway.
“If there’s something wrong with that wolf, you’re going to have to call someone else. I’ve surrendered to yoga pants and Ben & Jerry’s already.”
“There’s definitely something wrong with that wolf, but you’re the only person who can fix it.”
That…wasn’t Misty. Tingles shot through my body, every nerve coming awake at once. Magnus. On Misty’s phone. I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.
“Coco.” Magnus’ thick, deep voice made me tremble, and I was pretty sure a whimper even escaped me. Maybe he had been the one who whimpered. No, that was silly. It had to be me. He wouldn’t—
“Coco, beautiful, open the door.”
“What door?”
“Your front door.”
I headed to the front hall almost on autopilot. Not wanting to obey but unable not to. Nothing made sense anymore except Magnus was talking to me and I didn’t want him to stop. Ever. “You want me to open my front door?”
“Yes, beautiful. Open it.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t wrap my arms around you unless you do.”
Oh god. Magnus was here. On my porch. I walked faster, hurrying toward the white slab of wood and glass between us. Nearly crying when I saw his shadow through the curtains. Magnus. Here.
But then the memories of earlier—that morning at the hotel, running into Nico, sloppy seconds—came back, and opening that door seemed impossible. “What if I don’t want to?”
“You do,” he said, sounding so damn sure of himself while I trembled and fought to keep from panicking at the idea of seeing him. Of losing him. Of everything.
“What if Ican’topen it?”
“If you want me to role-play being the big, bad wolf and blowing your door down, we can do that. Your neighbors might not like it, though.”
I pressed my hand against the glass, a tired smile pulling at my lips. “My neighbors are all at the rehearsal dinner. Where you should be.”
“No, beautiful. I’m right where I need to be.”
Perfect words. Exactly what I’d thought I’d needed. And yet… “Magnus?”
“Yes, Coco?”
“I’m too afraid to open it,” I whispered.
“Oh, honey. There’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of, but I understand. Why don’t you step away from the door for me? Go press your back to the wall by the staircase.”
I did as I was told, again unable not to obey him. Not sure why I couldn’t just reach down and turn the little lock that would allow him entry. But I couldn’t—let him in or ignore his instructions, even though his instructions included opening the door.
I was a mess.
