Page 112 of Old Habits

I reach for another fry but she slaps my hand away. “Ow,” I wince.

“Take it back.”

“Jovie.” I laugh as I wipe the crumbs off my fingers. “Come on. It’s not a big deal. So, you’re making new friends and you’re burying old hatchets. It’s good for you. It’s healthy. Isn’t this exactly what you wanted to happen anyway?”

“No, I wanted to make them eat crow!” she says. “I wanted them to stop treating me like a damn leper. Like I don’t belong here. I was born in the same hospital two blocks away as they were. I went to the same schools, drank the same Kool-Aid, and I have every right to be here. I’m from Clover, Kansas and I’m—”

She shuts her mouth to stop herself from saying it.

I lean forward. “Proud?”

Her eyes disappear behind a deep squint. “Okay, I see your point. Can we go back to your place and fuck this bad taste out of my mouth, please?”

I smile. “Whatever you want, my darling.”

“Thank you.”

She slides out of the booth and beelines toward the nearest exit across the diner. I stand up to follow her, but not before snatching a few more abandoned fries off her plate.

***

I run a finger along Jovie’s naked hip, riding the curve up and down on the bed beside me.

She flinches and smiles, her eyes tired and closed. “That tickles,” she says.

I don’t stop. I keep my hands on her, feeling her smooth skin until she finally opens her eyes.

“I said, that tickles.”

“That’s not our safe word.”

She shifts up onto her elbow in amusement. “Stop tickling me before I break your fingers,” she says.

“There it is.” I withdraw my hand but lean in close to kiss her shoulder instead.

“What?” she asks me.

“Nothing.”

“No…” She leans back. “There’s something on your mind. What is it?”

I shake my head. “Just you.”

“Just me?”

“Yeah.”

“What about me?”

I eye the ring on her finger. She hasn’t taken it off since I gave it to her. At least, I haven’t noticed if she has, but we spend every free moment we have together. Making up for lost time, I suppose.

“I like having you here,” I say.

She smiles. “I like being here.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”