Page 121 of Old Habits

“Jove—”

“Just let me have this.” She pushes her hands downward with flat palms as if to put an end to the conversation.

I nod. “Okay. I respect your boundaries.”

“Thank you.”

“What about the books?” I ask, pointing to the shelf.

Jovie pauses and bites her lip. “No.”

“CDs?”

“No.”

“Okay, maybe point out the stuff you do want, then.”

She glances around and shrugs. “It’s weird.”

“What is?”

“I don’t know. Spend a few years without it and you realize just how much you don’t need it.”

I smirk. “You talking about the stuff or me?”

She blinks. “The stuff.”

“I know. I was just kidding.” I grab another fistful of underwear to toss inside the case, slowly realizing that Jovie hasn’t stop staring at me. “What?” I ask.

She drifts closer, never once taking her eyes off mine. “Will, I don’t want you to ever think that I don’t need you. That might sound strange, given the circumstances, but…” she shakes her head, “there wasn’t a day that went by when I didn’t think…”

Her voice fades and her face falls as she takes a step back.

“We should hurry,” she says, turning toward the closet again.

I stand still, immersed in the moment with her. One brick from a great wall just crumbled to pieces in front of me and it was more beautiful than I could have imagined.

Jovie’s blank slate is starting to fill in. If I don’t encourage it, she may erase it and I’ll never see that look in her eyes again.

I move silently toward her and she slouches in shame but I nudge her chin up to make her look at me. I hold her close, gently wrapping my arms around her and staring down into the same little, brown eyes as those photos.

Jovie smiles, so subtle and quick that it’s barely even there at all. But I saw it. It was meant for me, after all.

I lay a kiss on the tip of her nose and she rests her head on my chest. Her hair tickles my senses and I inhale a deep breath as her hands latch together behind my back.

After a few seconds, she squeezes tighter and buries her face in me a little bit more.

Given the circumstances, it does sound strange. I spent years thinking that Jovie was done with me. That she didn’t need me. But I was wrong.

Jovie turns her head up and I kiss her.

“Let’s go home,” I say.

She smiles again and nods as she releases her hold on me. “I’ll come back some other time for the rest of it,” she says. “Fill a few boxes and sell it off. Or give it away. Good karma can only help me right now…”

I step back to give her space.

She carries another stack of clothes from the closet and dumps it into the overflowing cases.