Page 12 of Honey Bun
She unpacked the jeans, a pink flowered shirt like the one she’d worn the first time I met her, and new underwear. She lowered her head. “You didn’t owe me.”
I looked away, afraid she’d refuse the clothing. I stared straight ahead. “I ruined your old pants, and honestly, I wanted to see you in skinny jeans.”
She let out a small sigh that might have been a chuckle. “Well, that word doesn’t describe me.”
“Agreed.” I heard her stop and glanced in the mirror as my heart raced. I hadn’t meant to insult her, and she might have taken it the wrong way, so I said quickly, “Your curves are sexy.” I’d thought about her a lot since we met again, and she was the only woman I still wanted.
She didn’t say a word as she dressed. Then she climbed to the front of the car. “I… I’m set now.”
I didn’t want her to rush off, so I said, “So, let’s get a burger and complete reenacting our first date before I take you home.”
She buckled her seat belt. “Is that what this was to you?”
I started the car. “Minus the kissing, this is how we spent many of our summer days.”
She leaned back. “True. I needed this.”
I peeled out of the parking lot and headed to George’s, a shack on the beach that had great views and burgers. When we were kids, we’d stuck to soda, but now, it might be nice to have a beer or a glass of wine or a cocktail with her. I kept my voice low. “And I think I needed to see you again.”
Her eyes fluttered wider. “Really?”
Honesty was good, always. As I drove us to the restaurant, I said, “I always wondered if the reason you stuck in my mind as being perfect was because you refused to have sex with me.”
She let out a giggle and pressed her hand to her heart. “What?”
I parked the car where we could see the ocean. “That sounded awful.”
Since she first disappeared from my life, I’d dated plenty of women. Beautiful women who liked the size of my bank account or the sheen of my car. They were always ready for the next move. It was exhausting.
“It’s nice to talk,” I said.
She opened her own door and hopped out before I had a chance to be a gentleman. I jumped out to join her as she said, “Talking is how people communicate.”
She patted my arm, and my skin burned for a long minute after that simple touch. Then I held my head up as I realized she wasn’t upset with me. I walked beside her into the restaurant. “It’s one way people communicate, but I’ve found even the most successful women our age don’t always want to just talk.”
We went to a table overlooking the ocean, and she scooted into the wooden booth and picked up the two-sided plastic menu. “It’s all I can offer, but you’ve made me curious.”
Getting a cheeseburger with everything was fine with me, so I flipped open the menu with the alcohol choices. I pushed it toward her, and our hands brushed. “About…?”
“So, tell me, how is it you are not married yet?”
Sparks rushed through me. I couldn’t leave her alone. “I just never met anyone like you again.”
She blushed and held my eyes for just a second before waving her hand between us as if trying to wipe away the truth of what I’d said. “You always were a smooth talker, Arman.” She turned to her menu, and the moment passed. She reviewed the menu until the waitress came. She chose a white wine, I ordered the bottle, and she asked for cheeseburger, plain.
“And for you, sir?”
“I’ll have the California burger. Extra avocado.”
When the waitress was gone, we sat in silence before I asked, “Remember when Cyrus was stung by the jellyfish?”
“Yeah, and he begged you, I mean literally begged you, to pee on his leg.” She smiled, and a small laugh escaped her, and just like that, the tension melted. “I’ve missed the beach. I’m glad Aurora can have it now.”
The Maddie I knew had loved to laugh. Her tight smile and constrained laugh made me wonder what her life had really been like. The food came, and we ate. I wanted all of her, and that included her trust, so I would go slowly.
She stared at me a few times, and my skin tingled. It seemed like she had something to say to me, but we mostly talked about our lives as carefree teenagers. Once we finished, she put her napkin down. “The sun’s going down. I should get home.”
We took a last few sips, and she slid out of her bench. I followed her. “Maddie, can we go out tomorrow?”
