Page 133 of The Unseen
“About the Dodgers?”
“No. I was thinking about your life in Nebraska. I can’t have you getting bored.”
“Pfft. I never get bored.” Since Zebulund’s arrest and subsequent conviction I’ve slept more and picked up more hobbies than I can count. Some more successful than others. “I could garden. I’ve thought about trying that.” But even as I say the words, I imagine a field of weepy brown flowers and hard clumps of earth. “Or something.”
He gives me skeptical eyebrow.
“I could totally garden.”
“Sure,” he says seriously. “I have no doubt you could do anything, Maggie May.”
“Thank you, James.”
“But you might be busier than you think very soon.” His right and left eyebrow take turns jumping.
“Oh? Am I pregnant and you didn’t tell me?”
“Not quite.” He pokes my ribs. “Last night when I was video chatting with my mom, she told me what the town decided to do with the factory.”
“Tell me.” I grab his hands and pull them behind my back so he’s wrapped tight around me and I’m looking up into his eyes.
“It’s gonna be a theater.”
“No way! That’s perfect.” My mind spins with possibilities. Local plays. Events that incorporate the whole town. Bake sales to raise funds. Maybe Mrs. J. wants to donate to the costume department.
“I thought so too. You did mention missing acting. Do you think maybe…”
I bite my lip. I haven’t let myself think about acting for years but now the thought excites something deep down inside. A little fizzle of adrenaline. I think of the lights and stage and costumes. I squeeze Roe so tight he wheezes. It’s nice to feel a little more than ribcage these days.
“I think that sounds really great,” I say.
We pull apart and I glance around the small bungalow one last time, seeing if there is anything I forgot. I hang up my metaphorical Miss Mayday hat and grab my keys. I’m ready to move on. So ready.
“You know what I just realized?” Roe’s question interrupts my thoughts.
“That you’re the luckiest man on earth?”
“No.” He narrows his eyes. “I already knew that.”
“Smart man.” I boop his nose. “What?”
“We never figured out why I can see you and nobody else can.”
I tilt my head. As far as we know, nobody other than Roe has ever been able to see me. Though my activities of invisibility are mostly in the testing phase these days and usually pertain to bedroom experiments.
“It’s because you’re the only person to see the real me. To see past all this superficial stuff,” I say seriously.
“I like that.” He kisses me.
“Or maybe you’re broken in the head,” I tease.
“One of life’s great mysteries, I suppose.”
I lock the door to my old home and get ready to go. Roe stops me with a gentle touch to the elbow.
“From the moment I met you, I felt something deep in me. A primal instinct to seek you out and protect you.” His gaze locks mine. “Like we were meant for each other. We were meant to find each other.”
I think of O.G. I need to send that man a fruit basket.
“I felt it too. I was too scared to admit it. I was so angry about it at first because I was scared.” My voice is a whisper. “It was cosmic.”
Roe goes on, “I always thought I had to maintain the burden of living alone in this world. I wore every negative aspect of this industry like a battle scar. But it’s not a burden, it’s a privilege, and I get to share it with you now. You’ve blown me away from the beginning. Your passion and dedication to change is so unseen in the rest of the world. You exist to make the world better. I’m proud to know you. I’m so honored to be in your life. Your love means more than all the accolades and awards I’ve ever received. I want to be the best person possible to be worthy of your love every day for the rest of our lives.”
His impromptu declaration has my heart racing. “You already are that person. I’ll never find another that sees me the way you do.” A slow grin pulls up my cheeks. “Are you asking me to go steady?”
“Yes.” His face is fully serious as he reaches toward his pocket. My heart is slamming around for totally new reasons now. “Let’s go steady forever.”
