Page 76 of The Marriage Narrative
Dark, soulful jazz music floated into her room.
Her eyes snapped open. “No.” She rolled over mumbling curses because she’d finally fallen asleep. “Fine.” She’d rather spend time with Jordan anyway.
There were lit candles everywhere in the living room, at least twenty of them. He was sitting in front of the record player hooked up to the sound system, sifting through vinyl records. Blankets and pillows were in their usual nesting spot, along with a tray of midnight desserts—rosemary citrus sorbet, butteryblueberry scones, an assortment of creamy cheeses. Her latest favorites.
“Hey.” He had the raised eyebrows and hopeful eyes of an attentive evil genius.
“You woke me up.”
“You never go to bed this early.”
She checked the time. The clocks were apparently in on his scheme.
“Zinnia—”
“I don’t want to talk about today.”
“I understand if you need space. That’s fine. But if you’re mad—”
“I’m not mad at you.”
“Will you let me finish? Stop doing that.”
She broke their staring stalemate first by crossing her arms and then gesturing for him to continue.
“You have every right to be upset and I don’t want to make things worse,” he said. “About a year ago, I went to counseling with an ex. I wanted to break up, but she wanted to try so I went, and I learned something that has stuck with me ever since.Unspoken expectations are premeditated resentments.I don’t wantusto fall into that trap because—”
“I’m notreadyto talk about today.”
He forcefully exhaled. “The thing is, I’m already in the trap but it’s not with you. It’s with my family. When youareready, please don’t hide your honesty from me anymore. I want to know everything.”
“Okay.” She fidgeted in place. “So,didyou wake me up on purpose?”
He scoffed into a smile. “I didn’t even know you were asleep.”
“What’s that, then?” She pointed to the tray.
“My just-in-case plan.” He tapped the spot next to him. “Come pick a record. We’ll listen to whatever you want.”
As soon as she sat down, he draped a blanket over her shoulders and tucked her into his side while she browsed through the records.
“Are these yours?”
“This is my estate collection. I have another one at home.”
Almost nothing was familiar. There was a little bit of every genre, spanning decades from one choice to the next. “Ooh! My parents love him.” She handed him the Luther Vandross greatest hits record. “ ‘Here and Now’ is their song.”
He slipped it out of the case and put it on.
“When I was ten, my parents renewed their vows for their tenth anniversary. A whole first dance do-over and they chose that song again anyway.” She smiled thinking about that day. “I vividly remember saying that if I ever got married, my first dance would be to ‘Viva Forever’ by the Spice Girls.”
“Excellent choice.” He had the good sense to not outright laugh. “You had superior taste for a ten-year-old.”
She stared straight ahead, suddenly feeling a little lost. “During our first meeting at your store you mentioned the Spice Girls. I know you were just joking, but I thought it was a sign. The universe secretly trying to tell me that I’d get to have a first dance after all.”
His amused grin instantly vanished. “I didn’t know that.”
“No one did. That’s how signs work.” She grabbed the closest pillow and lay down, curling into a ball inside the blanket.
