What I Should Have Done ✓

Chapter 22

It got so much worse.

The next morning, a note on the counter informed us that Andrew and Laura had already left because Andrew had been called in for a work emergency. With Marianne having her best friend over for their traditional Black Friday date, John was taking me into the city.

I had had to promise him we weren't going to go into Macy's or any of the other big department stores. I had vowed I wasn't there to shop. I had never been to New York City and was thrilled to walk the streets of the Big Apple and to get a stiff neck from craning it to take in all of Manhattan. It was no big deal to John, of course. He'd been to the city countless times, had maps with his favorite pizza joints saved on his phone and all.

I didn't know what he had in mind for us, but I had all but bounced down the stairs at 7:45, seemingly the first one up, and started scrambling eggs and toasting bread to make myself useful. A few minutes in, thumps came down the stairs, consistent with someone who had heavy footsteps but was trying to be quiet. I looked over my shoulder when John entered the kitchen, wearing only a gray V-neck t-shirt and a pair of white basketball shorts. My heart beat a little faster as he ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He wasn't even trying, yet looked arresting. Snap out of it, Grace!

John squinted against the tentative rays of sunshine through the window pane. "Good morning." His voice was husky from sleep. "Thank you for making breakfast. Smells great."

My breath hitched in my throat when he approached me and came to a halt less than a foot behind me. Suddenly holding a spatula was a challenge. Or maybe the challenge was to not let myself melt into him.

"And thank you for the note." His whisper was so low, almost inaudible, that I wasn't sure if I had really heard it. Eventually, I settled for turning my head and sending him a smile. I shouldn't have. The intimacy of his gaze made me want to throw myself at him. But I couldn't. Wouldn't. Didn't want to. Obviously. I had a boyfriend.

Then his lips twisted into a grin.

"What?" My face fell.

"Have you looked into a mirror lately? Your hair's a little..."

I cringed. "Damn it. It's a bird's nest, isn't it?" I had planned to brush my hair before coming downstairs and had then forgotten. How could I have forgotten?

He could barely hold back the laughter. "I'm just teasing you."

I shot him a dirty look.

"It's really not," he defended, "only a little tangled."

He reached out and took a lock of my hair between his thumb and forefinger. I flinched and immediately wished I hadn't. He pulled his hand away as fast as he'd extended it and mumbled a 'sorry'.

"No, it's okay," I retorted quickly. Ugh, Grace, why are you like this? What the hell are you even doing here?

A couple of seconds of awkward silence passed before he said: "I've gotta jump in the shower, but I'll be out in 5 minutes," and headed back upstairs to the bathroom. The door softly shut behind him.

What was it with guys' blitz showers? I mean, 5 minutes? Come on.

***

My cheek was as cold as the ice on the small skating rink they put up on campus in the winter. I was slumped against the chilly glass of the train window, not being able to suppress a yawn every now and then. Thankfully, the day had passed much less awkwardly than the morning had promised. Outside illuminated blops rushed past, blurring into yellowish stripes. I loved the city at night, not that I got to see much of it. The enchanted atmosphere veiled everything in a haze of unreality, creating a space in which everything seemed possible.