9781250209153

Her eyes flicker in the glow of the tree lights. “Do you wanna talk it
out?”
We hover on the edge of something. It’s so quiet I can hear my new
watch ticking.
“Can I ask you something?” I say. “Are you over Charlotte?”
She tilts her head, searching me. I wonder if she can see the truth on my
face: that I want her to say no. I want to know I’m not alone in this pain,
this confusion. I want to know she understands how it feels to be falling in
new love and bleeding from old love at the same time.
“Yeah, I am.” She brushes my hair back from my forehead, her touch
exceedingly gentle. “But you’re not over Tally, are you?”
My eyes burn with more tears. I give her the only truth I can. “I want to
be.”
She swallows and nods solemnly. “What do you need?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Sit with it for a second.”
We breathe in the stillness. My emotions are crashing all over the place.
I trace my finger over her curling iron scar again, but before she can take
my hand, I pull away.
“Can you drive me home?”
Irene’s face falls. “Yeah, of course.”
She gives me a hand off the floor. We keep quiet as we tug on our shoes,
button our coats, pet Mary goodnight. We get back into her car and make
the thirty-second drive to my house.
“Scottie,” Irene says when I move to get out of the car.
“Yeah?”
“Take all the time you need. Everything’s gonna be okay.”
I give her the bravest smile I can muster. I’m not sure when I’ll see her
again. “Merry Christmas, Abraham.”
She smiles sadly back. “Merry Christmas, Zajac.”