Page 69 of Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon
“Yeah.”
“Women are good at those,” I say. “A little something to remember us by.”
I listen to the clomping of his feet, the sound of slight exertion.
“How was it?” I ask.
He hesitates; there’s a siren somewhere. “It was nice. You know, it’s…it’s been a while.”
“Idoknow.”
“I kinda thought I’d never be kissed again,” he says. “And I kinda thought I was okay with that. Now I feel a little shitty about it, like I’ve done something wrong.”
“It’s complicated being the one left behind, huh?”
“It is,” he says.
“Maybe just focus on the nice part,” I say. “It’s nice to be kissed, and you deserve to feel something nice again.”
I’m out of things to say, but I don’t want to hang up yet. Seems like Henry doesn’t want to hang up yet, either, because he says, “So, how are you?”
I laugh. “Um, fine. I watched the end ofEdward Scissorhandsafter you left, so I’m probably gonna go ahead and heave myself into the Inner Harbor now. Other than that, all good.”
A small smile creeps into his voice. “I warned you. Dark and sad.”
“Yep,” I say. “Dark and sad.”
Another siren, but this one sounds farther off, barely a whine.
“Anyway,” he says. “Sorry I called so late. I just…after all that…well, I just wanted to talk to you again, I guess.”
“I get it,” I say. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Right. Friends.”
When I finally do hang up, the dog watches as I stand up and go back to my clothes. I push some things aside, hoodies and a Ravens pullover from Bud Light. Then I stop at my red dress. I take it down and hold it up to myself.
Harry Styles looks up at me.
“What do you think?” I ask him. “Can I still pull it off?”
Barbie: A Perfect Christmas
The weather did what our phones said it would: It got cold—the legit kind you don’t normally get here until the sustained grayness of late January. I zip my coat to my chin and knock on Grace’s front door. Bella and Harry Styles answer.
“Finally,” Bella says. “We got a bunch of ’em!”
I shudder because it’s freezing and because I’m not sure what “a bunch” of mice means. There were two last night when Grace and I watchedEdward Scissorhands. She texted me this morning and told me another one had shown up overnight.
It’s like a little party in there.
I’ll come over later and take care of it.
No hot dates today?
Stop it.
I’ll be at work. I & B will let you in. Say hi to the vermin for me.
