Page 46 of Save the Date

“No, no. It wasn’t that. I mean I guess I was having a bad time because I don’t do well with loud music or bright lights or tequila shots.” Emma realized she was getting off track. “I only left because I saw Chris on the dance floor, and I panicked.”

“Chris is here?”

“Yes. Apparently, he goes out all the time without Jackie and it’s totally fine because his mom would kill him if he cheated? I don’t know. They have a weird marriage.”

Matt looked at her strangely, which felt justified. “I thought you’d left because I’d screwed up or something.” He avoided her eyes as he looked sheepishly at the ground.

“Not at all,” Emma assured him. “I screwed up by leaping to conclusions and waking my sister up in the middle of the night.”

“It’s not even twelve.”

“Moskowitz girls have an unbalanced circadian rhythm.”

Matt laughed and Emma reached out to take his hand. “I probably should have been more upfront about my inability to properly party. I just wasn’t built for it.”

“Never apologize for being yourself,” he replied, continuing his streak of being wonderful. “I’m probably too old for places like this anyway.”

“Hey, to quote a wise man I know, ‘Never apologize for being yourself.’ It’s okay for us to like different stuff as long as…” Emma suddenly found herself too embarrassed to complete her thought.

“As long as what?”

“As long as we like each other,” Emma whispered, forcing herself to look into his dark brown eyes. She felt a wave of relief as a smile emerged on his beautifully defined face.

“Then I guess we have nothing to worry about.” Matt moved his head closer to hers, his eyes asking a question instead of his mouth. Emma gently nodded as an answer. He immediately closed the gap between them and suddenly they were kissing on a sidewalk like no one could see them.

Matt’s lips were big and soft, and as soon as they were on Emma’s, his whole body responded in kind. He used his right hand to pull her closer by the small of her back while his left one caressed her face. He kissed her like he hadn’t kissed anyone in so long he needed to make up for lost time. She felt him start to make his way down her jeggings and was surprised when he grabbed her ass. He must have noticed her jolt because he pulled away, his face flushed.

“I’m sorry. I guess I got a little carried away,” he murmured, clearly embarrassed.

“Me too,” she admitted. “I don’t normally make out in front of children.” Emma gestured to the closed store behind him that featured child-size mannequins in the window.

Matt chuckled before leaning down and giving her another kiss that didn’t last nearly long enough for her liking. “I should probably get you home.”

Emma shook her head, placing a hand on his chest. She tried not to get too distracted by the firmness of his pecs. Were they genetic? Was he a superhero? “You should stay. Kyle’s only here for the night and I can get an Uber.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. As long as we can continue this again soon.”

“How’s tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow’s perfect.”

Minutes later, as Emma was driven home by a blissfully quiet stranger, she slowly traced her Hella Lacy tattoo and thought about the future without an ounce of despair.

Nineteen

“DISCONNECTION IS A NATURAL PART OF LONG-TERMrelationships,” Emma said gently to the elderly couple in front of her. Frank and Connie Torres had been married for nearly sixty-five years. They had survived the loss of a child, three cancer diagnoses (two for him, one for her) and a criminal accountant who ate up a considerable amount of their hard-earned savings. But the thing that had finally brought them to therapy was Frank’s iPhone.

“Believe me, I know that,” Connie replied. “But how are we supposed to reconnect if he won’t put his damn phone down?”

“It’s down right now!” Frank bellowed. Emma was having a hard time discerning if his high decibel was due to emotion or hearing loss.

“I can see you gripping it through your pants right now,” Connie countered.

Frank looked down at his lap and was surprised to see that he was in fact holding his phone through his pants pocket.

Emma braced herself for his response. Would he try to explain it away with some made-up excuse? Would he attemptto turn the tables and attack her for always being so critical of him? People were often their worst selves when caught.

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