Page 132 of So I'll Know
She winks again. “You know me, love. I like to bend the rules sometimes. Even my own.”
Their banter eases the tension in my stomach.
“How did you meet?” I ask.
Norah’s eyes light up and Marcus groans. She leans forward, resting her manicured hands on the table. “Marcus was just a nineteen-year-old babe when I met him at a bar in Ohio.”
“Ohio?”
“I was there for my grandmother’s funeral,” Marcus interjects.
“He stuck out like a sore thumb in his flannel and ripped jeans, and his hair was longer back then—like a wet dream from the nineties.”
I stare at him. “Youhad long hair?”
He gives me a rueful smile. “I told you I went through a grunge-rock phase. But—” He points at her. “You stuck out too, dressed to the nines like some sort of model. It was a sports bar, for Christ’s sake.”
Norah waves her hand dismissively. “I saw him in his lumberjack cosplay glory andhadto talk to him. He was tryingto order a Rainier from the bar, which of course, the bartender from small-town Ohio had never heard of.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I see your taste in beer has improved.”
“Gimme a break. I was nineteen.”
“Anyway, I told him that I didn’t peg him for a beer-drinker but rather guessed he’d order a Mike’s Hard Lemonade.”
Marcus looks affronted. “Can you imagine? I mean, nothing against Mike’s Hard Lemonade drinkers.”
James shakes his head with a laugh. “She likes to fuck with people. It’s her love language.”
“So it was just a random hookup?” I look at Marcus. “That’s so unlike you.”
“I randomly hooked up with you,” he points out, taking a sip of his beer.
“And you freaked the fuck out,” I deadpan.
“I freaked the fuck out because you’re a guy,” he says, suddenly looking guilty. “Because you turned what I thought I knew about myself on its head.”
Norah’s eyes zero in on Marcus’s, and she gives him a small smile. “And what about now, darling? Have you figured yourself out?”
Marcus shrugs. “I’m bi.” His eyes shift to mine and soften when he says it, like it’s the most natural thing in the world, and I have to admit that I didn’t expect it to come from him so easily—especially because he walked right back into the closet at Charlie’s going away party.
Norah’s smile grows. “I’m so happy for you, Marcus.” She reaches across the table and gives his hand a squeeze. Then, she looks at me. “To answer your question, it was a random hookup—sort of. After several drinks at the bar, we went back to my hotel, which also turned out to be Marcus’s hotel, where he was staying with his parents. And not only that, on the same floor, just a few doors down.” She snickers. “It was like being in highschool again, sneaking around because he was afraid his stepmom would see him with a mysterious older woman.”
Marcus looks flustered. “We didn’t even really hook up. We just fooled around a bit.”
Norah’s eyes twinkle. “He’s right, actually. We fooled around, and then we stayed up all night talking.” She taps her chin. “What was it we talked about, love?”
“Norah . . .” There’s a warning note in his voice, and I immediately push my hand over his lips so she can finish.
“Oh, right,” she says with an impish grin. “He told me all about this boy he called Peter Parker. I could hardly get him to talk about anything else.”
My mouth falls open. “What?” I drop my hand as I turn to look at Marcus, who refuses to meet my eyes. I glance back at her doubtfully. “That was eleven years ago.”
Norah looks at me kindly. “You understand now, don’t you? You have no reason to be jealous of anyone, darling.” She leans in like she’s telling me a secret. “I’ve never seen Marcus look at anyone the way he looks at you—the way he’salwayslooked at you—like you’re the only person in the room,” she says earnestly, and my heart stutters. “And the name Jeremy is pretty rock-and-roll, which is just his style.”
I blush and look down. “My mom named me after that Pearl Jam song. They were her favorite band.” I hear Marcus’s breath catch, and when I look at him, he’s staring at me hungrily. I look back at Norah, who’s watching me as if she can see right into my soul. “Thank you, Norah,” I say softly, melting into Marcus’s side.
We stay at the restaurant long after we finish our drinks and our sandwiches, and I’m kind of sad when we get up to part ways.
