Page 110 of The No Touch Roommate Rule
“Kevin DeWitt.” He grins, clearly charmed. “And thank you, but I’m not sure how much I had to do with it. Makena’s always been her own, very special person.” He glances his daughter’s way as he releases my grandmother’s hand. “One I’m very proud of, too.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Makena says, her cheeks flushing as she adds, “but we already decided no more feelings today, remember? And a deal’s a deal.”
He chuckles as he nods. “Right. That’s right.”
“That sounds smart,” Nana says. “Feelings before dinner are bad for digestion, and I’m starved.” She hooks her arm through Kevin’s, pulling him toward the kitchen. “Come on, Kev, let’s get this spread laid out and hunt down some lemonade mix. I thought I saw some in the pantry.”
He nods, a complicit gleam in his eye as he says, “That sounds like a great idea.” To us, he tosses over his shoulder, “Take all the time you need. We’ll have the food ready when you are.”
The screen door bangs behind them, and the house swallows their voices.
Then, it’s just us.
Us and the insects humming in the trees, and the spicy, wild scent of all the tomatoes we need to hurry up and eat before they go bad, and all the things I need to say to her.
But where to start?
I guess, “I’m sorry,” is as good a place as any.
I’m about to launch into my best bid for forgiveness when Makena blurts out, “I hope you don’t feel ambushed.”
I shake my head, rushing to assure her, “No, not at all.”
“I didn’t plan on bringing Dad back with me. But we had such a good talk. Then he took off work so we could keep talking and walk around the lake, and it just felt wrong to send him back to his house alone. And we were both starving again by the time we finished up, so…”
“Really, it’s fine.” I follow her as she paces across the grass toward the garden. “It’s awesome, actually. I don’t know what you said to him, but whatever it was, it worked.”
“I just told him the truth.” She turns to face me not far from the gopher hole. I’m about to warn her about it—and promise to call the exterminators first thing tomorrow—when she adds, “I told him that I’m in love with you.”
All thoughts of gophers go straight out the window.
My heart lurches, so dizzy with gratitude, I’m pretty sure it’s crashing around in my intestines by the time she adds, “I told him that you were my boyfriend, that we’re moving in together for real, and I hope you never give me an excuse to move out. I also told him that from now on, if he wants to be a part of my life, respect for my partner is non-negotiable.” She stands up a little straighter as she adds, “And that goes double when it comes to respect for me.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “Badass. You are so badass.”
Her lips twitch with a mixture of pride and anxiety I don’t fully understand until she says, “Thanks, but I’m notthatbadass. I mean, I’m fine with saying the ‘L’ word first, but if you don’t say it back to me pretty soon, I’m going to hurl myself into the garden and cry all over the tomatoes.”
“Just don’t cry on the zucchini,” I say as I drift toward her, reaching for her hands. “You know where they’ve been.”
“Don’t joke,” she murmurs. “Not now. Not yet.”
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, threading my fingers through hers as I drop to both knees in the grass. “I love you, Makena DeWitt. Of course, I fucking do.”
“You have to stop kneeling all the time,” she says, shaking her head even as a relieved laugh bursts from her chest. “You’re injured, dumbass.”
“Iama dumbass,” I agree, gazing up into her flushed face. “I should have told you I loved you that night on the beach in Mobile. Or at the crawfish festival, the second you got off stage after the mating call contest.” I hesitate only a beat before I add, “Or that time, when I was twelve, when we jumped on the trampoline until the stars came out. Then laid down in the dark and stared at the sky and talked for hours about all the things we were going to do when we grew up. Because I’m pretty sure that’s the moment I knew for sure.”
Her brow furrows, but before she can speak, I hurry to add, “And no, that wasn’tthiskind of love. But it was love. It was friend love, like those two girls in that show we binged at your dad’s place the day it rained too hard to go to the water park.”
“Anne and Diana,” Makena whispers, fresh tears shining in her eyes. “From Anne of Green Gables. They were bosom friends.”
I smile, my eyes starting to sting a little now, too. “Yep, that’s it. You were always my bosom friend. And now, I get to touch your bosom, and I honestly couldn’t be any happier. I’m so sorry I fucked up yesterday. I never should have sent my bosom friend away, and I promise I never will again.”
Her bottom lip trembles. “Yeah? You promise?”
I nod, squeezing her fingers tighter as I vow, “Cross my heart and hope to die. From now on, we stick like glue, even when it’s hard. Even when we disagree and things are stressful or shitty or uncomfortable.”
She nods, seeming comforted by the promise. “Yes. Because sometimes we’ll have to fight. All people fight, even people who love each other.”
