birthday, which means I wasn’t kissed before I turned thirty, so that doesn’t count,” she said finally, her voice sounding distant and her mind barely processing the words even as she spoke.
There was the faintest tic in his jaw, but Verna could see the laughter in his eyes. “Close enough for government work.”
She pressed her lips together and slightly closed her eyes, but her brain still wasn’t cooperating, and she couldn’t begin to fathom what had possessed him.
“Ah…Um…”
He laughed this time. “Is that all it takes to keep Verna Love quiet?” The smile that now covered his face was full and unrestrained, and it made Verna’s heart pound even harder. “It sucks that you spent your birthday alone, so let me try to make it up to you at least a little. Dinner at my place tonight?”
“Um…I’m busy.”
“No, you’re not,” he said.
“No. I’m not,” she admitted.
“So dinner at my place tonight.”
“O-okay.”
“Good. See you later.”
After he left, Verna went to the couch, still stunned by the turn of events. She had no paradigm for a world in which Joe MacDermid entered her home, kissed her on the lips, and invited her to dinner. It wasn’t a date, date or even a kiss, kiss , but still…there was no universe where that encounter should have occurred.
She spent the rest of the afternoon puzzling through what had happened, and specifically not thinking about the fact that even all these hours later she could still feel the pressure of his lips against hers. Or that she’d give anything to feel it again.
••••
“You’re being weird, Verna.”
“I’m always being weird,” she replied without missing a beat, but the words lacked their usual energy.
She then smoothed her hand over her hair for what had to be the thousandth time since she’d come over, something he couldn’t ever recall her doing before. Then she scooted to the edge of her chair and sat up as straight as she could before reaching out to grab her water glass by the stem. But she didn’t take a drink, and instead wiped at the condensation that had gathered on the glass, all while making what seemed a concerted effort not to look at him.
He’d essentially browbeaten her to get her over here, and now she was as jumpy as a jackrabbit, had hardly spoken at all, and he suspected he knew why.
“Spit it out,” he said after more long minutes of excruciating silence.
She’d left the water glass alone and picked up her fork, and when he spoke, she stopped pushing the piece of steak she’d been playing with for what seemed like hours across her plate long enough to glance at him before she looked down again. Her lips were pulled tight and turned down, her expression was reflective, quizzical, and she hadn’t cracked a joke or uttered a swear word the entire time she’d been here. Not Verna-like at all.
“Come on,” he said, “just spit it out and we can go back to sniping at each other. If I’d wanted to sit in silence, I could have done that alone. So let’s just get this over with.”
She cut her eyes at him and heaved a huge sigh, and for an instant she was the person he recognized.
“Why did you kiss me?” she finally asked after several more moments had passed.
It was a fair question, one that he didn’t quite know how to answer himself.
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” he said.
That was the best answer he’d come up with, even after having all day to consider it. Her eyes flashed and then narrowed.
“I don’t need your fucking pity,” she bit out, the words as angry as her eyes.
“Whoa, no offense intended,” he said, raising his hands. “I’m just being honest, but don’t put words in my mouth and don’t jump to conclusions.”
She paused then, pursing her lips as she thought. “So that wasn’t a pity kiss, but you don’t know why you did it?” she finally asked.
“Yeah, like I said, I was just being honest.”
She shook her head, livening up as
There was the faintest tic in his jaw, but Verna could see the laughter in his eyes. “Close enough for government work.”
She pressed her lips together and slightly closed her eyes, but her brain still wasn’t cooperating, and she couldn’t begin to fathom what had possessed him.
“Ah…Um…”
He laughed this time. “Is that all it takes to keep Verna Love quiet?” The smile that now covered his face was full and unrestrained, and it made Verna’s heart pound even harder. “It sucks that you spent your birthday alone, so let me try to make it up to you at least a little. Dinner at my place tonight?”
“Um…I’m busy.”
“No, you’re not,” he said.
“No. I’m not,” she admitted.
“So dinner at my place tonight.”
“O-okay.”
“Good. See you later.”
After he left, Verna went to the couch, still stunned by the turn of events. She had no paradigm for a world in which Joe MacDermid entered her home, kissed her on the lips, and invited her to dinner. It wasn’t a date, date or even a kiss, kiss , but still…there was no universe where that encounter should have occurred.
She spent the rest of the afternoon puzzling through what had happened, and specifically not thinking about the fact that even all these hours later she could still feel the pressure of his lips against hers. Or that she’d give anything to feel it again.
••••
“You’re being weird, Verna.”
“I’m always being weird,” she replied without missing a beat, but the words lacked their usual energy.
She then smoothed her hand over her hair for what had to be the thousandth time since she’d come over, something he couldn’t ever recall her doing before. Then she scooted to the edge of her chair and sat up as straight as she could before reaching out to grab her water glass by the stem. But she didn’t take a drink, and instead wiped at the condensation that had gathered on the glass, all while making what seemed a concerted effort not to look at him.
He’d essentially browbeaten her to get her over here, and now she was as jumpy as a jackrabbit, had hardly spoken at all, and he suspected he knew why.
“Spit it out,” he said after more long minutes of excruciating silence.
She’d left the water glass alone and picked up her fork, and when he spoke, she stopped pushing the piece of steak she’d been playing with for what seemed like hours across her plate long enough to glance at him before she looked down again. Her lips were pulled tight and turned down, her expression was reflective, quizzical, and she hadn’t cracked a joke or uttered a swear word the entire time she’d been here. Not Verna-like at all.
“Come on,” he said, “just spit it out and we can go back to sniping at each other. If I’d wanted to sit in silence, I could have done that alone. So let’s just get this over with.”
She cut her eyes at him and heaved a huge sigh, and for an instant she was the person he recognized.
“Why did you kiss me?” she finally asked after several more moments had passed.
It was a fair question, one that he didn’t quite know how to answer himself.
“It seemed like the right thing to do,” he said.
That was the best answer he’d come up with, even after having all day to consider it. Her eyes flashed and then narrowed.
“I don’t need your fucking pity,” she bit out, the words as angry as her eyes.
“Whoa, no offense intended,” he said, raising his hands. “I’m just being honest, but don’t put words in my mouth and don’t jump to conclusions.”
She paused then, pursing her lips as she thought. “So that wasn’t a pity kiss, but you don’t know why you did it?” she finally asked.
“Yeah, like I said, I was just being honest.”
She shook her head, livening up as
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