Page 137 of Sunset Catchers

June

Winnie

“How much pink is too much pink?” I say, nervously eying everything I’ve added to Levi’s home, which is also my home now.

A strawberry dishcloth in the kitchen, next to his checkered one. My collection of girly pink mugs in the cabinet above the coffee machine, mixing his collection of mugs with nerdy puns on them. A few floral pillows on the plain grey couch.

My pink electric toothbrush that I decorated with stickers, now residing beside his undecorated one. My clothes are in the walk-in closet, and my skincare products are littering the bathroom counter. My books are entwined with his on the bookshelf in the living room.

My things merged with his things.

Levi walks around every room, silently considering everything. I’m anxious as I follow him. I’m prepared to get the cardboard boxes from the recycling bin and pack up all of my crap. When he turns around, I expect to find a regrettable expression on his face over so many pink and girly decor now occupying his space.

But there’s only a sort of awe there.

My confusion fizzles in the air between us. I raise my brows in a silent question. His throat works on a swallow before he answers.

“There are tangible, permanent speckles of you everywhere now.”

His voice is thick with the same emotion that’s now clogging my throat.

“My speckles are now merged with your speckles,” I say.

“That sounded disgusting.”

“It did,” I agree, then I let out a wet laugh, which is also sort of a sob.

Levi hauls me to him until our bodies are flush together.

“Welcome home, Winnie.” He kisses the crown of my head as tears spill down my cheeks.

“Happy to be here, Levi.”

August

Winnie

I supervise Levi as he pounds the hammer on the nail until it’s protruding from the wall above our bed. After that, he takes the small, golden frame and hangs it. He backs up until he’s at my side, and we’re both staring at the newly framed ten-dollar bill.

The very same ten-dollar bill I tipped him on our very first encounter that Levi had held on to.

Junie had been right; it was our meet-cute, after all.

“So, what do you think?” Levi asks me after a minute of shared contemplation.

“You want the good news or the bad news first?”

“The good news…?”, he says, hesitantly.

“The frame is very pretty.” We had the bill framed professionally and had opted for a golden frame with little flowers all over. It reflected the light from the windows in our bedroom in a very pretty way.

“What’s the bad news?”

“Well, it feels as if we’re telling a very different story than the one that actually happened.” There’s only confusion on his face, so I help a guy out. “It looks like we met in a strip club, and that that’s the bill you slipped in my slutty thong while I gave you a private lap dance.”

Levi bursts out laughing, and so do I.

“Yeah, it kind of does,” he agrees, wincing. “To be fair, if I’d gone to a strip club and saw you half-naked the first time we met, I think we would’ve ended up right here anyway.”