Page 74 of You Again

I swallow and skirt my eyes from hers. “Enough to kiss him… a lot. I possibly smothered the man with affection.”

“My. That must have been one heck of a date.” Grammy pats my leg in approval.

I shake my head and peer down at my hands in my lap. “It happened so fast. I don’t know how he feels. Or even how I feel, really. We’ve been friends, and I like Zev. But this—it just sort of happened and⁠—”

“Rosalie,” she says. “You are not the kind of girl to kiss a boy without feelings.”

“He was crying,” I say with a gulp. “I mean, I walked in on him upset and—” I clamp down on my bottom lip, thinking. “I don’t know. It sounds so dumb, Gram, but it just felt right. Almost as if I had no other choice.”

Gram’s face softens. She looks truly sad for the “redhead” she’s yet to meet or give real approval of. “Even still. My Rosalie doesn’t kiss a man unless there is something there.” She nods.

I breathe out a sigh. “I’m sure it was a mistake.”

“Pish posh.” She stands and brushes imaginary dust from her pants. “Just because it was unexpected doesn’t mean it was wrong. It sounds as if you need to trust your soul.”

I peer up at her, waiting for her wisdom to shower down on me. “You mean my gut?”

“I mean your soul, dearest.”

“My soul?”

“Yes. Sometimes our souls know things that our minds and even hearts haven’t figured out yet. What you’re describing sounds like soul searching. Soul discovering.”

I smirk. “You’re saying my soul wanted to kiss Zev’s soul.”

“Yes, I am.” Grammy sets both hands on her hips. “And I’m a brilliant woman, whom you should always listen to. Not to mention I was married to my soulmate for sixty years.” We stare at one another for a solid minute before— “I think I’ll go watch reruns of Lovers Love Twice. Want to join?”

“I think I’m going to lie down,” I tell her.

“Yes. You had a very long and productive night. You should rest.”

I smirk out a laugh. It was quite productive.

Back in my bedroom, I change into my pjs, though the day is just beginning, and fall onto my bed. My soul kissed Zev’s soul.

That’s insane.

And then much less pleasant thoughts flit through my brain. Robert was nothing like I remember. For the first time since I woke up in that hospital, all the awful things Fran told me about Robert feel like they might be true.

They are true. I’ve been assuming that Fran didn’t have all the information. I was wrong. Between Fran and Robert, I’m trusting her. How could I have thought that she would have exaggerated something so awful? I shut my eyes and remember all she said about Margo, too. I need to remember. I need to hear and take in all that she told me. I’ve been in denial for too long, and it’s done me no good. It doesn’t feel good, but it must be done.

Then, I focus on Robert again—gosh, he failed me. But there’s peace in moving on. In truth. It hurts, but it isn’t the chaos of the unknown. Something I have become well acquainted with in the last seven months.

My phone on my nightstand pings and I open my eyes. The screen is lit, and since I’m not sleeping, I pick it up to see Zev’s name.

He’s awake.

Zev: You left.

Me: I also left a note.

Zev: Thanks for that.

Me: I’m sorry I stayed so late.

Zev: Don’t apologize. I’m not sorry. For any of it.

My heart thumps. Grammy, who has never met the man, was so certain about our souls connecting. Something I’ve never heard the woman say before. Yet, I wasn’t sure he actually liked me in that way, until this very minute. Until that last text.