three years ago from a small town in Pennsylvania. I had Trevor, but adjusting was still a challenge.”
“The two of you moved here together?”
She nods, opening the door. We move aside to let an elderly lady go in before us. “Well, it was more like I followed him. I didn’t want to at first, but I didn’t want to live in PA without him—oh man, that smells good.”
As we step inside, I smell garlic, onions, peppers, and some type of spice I can’t name. My stomach does a little flip, growling. I didn’t even realize I was hungry until now. Matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time I ate. Lunch? No…breakfast? I think I only had a cup of coffee.
Stephanie and I stand in a small line of people waiting to order. She purses her lips as she stares at the menu, making her Monroe piercing sparkle.
“Did that hurt?” I ask, pointing to her lips.
“The piercing? Only a little. There’s a bunch of nerve endings in your lips, so it makes you sneeze a lot. I must’ve sneezed, I don’t know, maybe twenty times after it was over.” She laughs, and then looks at me curiously. “Why? Do you want one?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Too afraid of needles.”
“Ah, it’s not that bad.”
We order our food, and not too much later we find ourselves seated at an outdoor table. There’s a drool-worthy Cuban sandwich in front of me, and it tastes just as good as it looks. Delicious.
“So why don’t you live at the house with Trevor?” I ask Stephanie between bites. “Wouldn’t it be more convenient?”
She wipes her mouth with her napkin. “Yeah, I guess. But I’m kind of old fashioned. I want more of a commitment before we take that step.”
“Like a ring?” I ask, then shake my head at myself. “Sorry. I have a bad habit of asking personal questions. You don’t have to answer that.”
“No, it’s okay,” she says, waving her hand in the air. “And yes, a ring would be amazing. I mean, we practically live together anyway. If I’m not at his place, then he’s at mine. The thing is, Trevor came here because Max needs him. ’Course Max doesn’t think he needs him,” she pauses to roll her eyes, “but he does. Desperately.”
Stephanie looks at me, seeing my confusion, and explains. “I can’t really talk about it; it’s not my place. Max’s life is just…well let’s just say he hasn’t had an easy one handed to him. He doesn’t let many people get close, and if Trevor and I weren’t here, no one would be.”
I stop chewing, watching the way Stephanie’s eyes glaze over. If I’m not mistaken, there’s genuine sadness there. I’m curious to know what she means by that, but the other part of me remembers that I need to respect Max’s wishes. No personal stories, he said. Whether or not it comes from him, I shouldn’t be digging into his business.
“Anyway,” Stephanie continues. “I can’t move forward until I know Trevor is in a place where he can give me a hundred percent, and he just can’t do that right now. Sometimes I wish I knew exactly when that moment was coming, but I’m okay with the way things are between us. For now. One day I’ll get my ring.”
I nod, pretending like I understand, but the truth is that I don’t. Miles and I never had any looming questions; we had everything mapped out in advance. We planned to move into a place of our own after graduation, right after we got engaged. Sometimes I wonder if the missing spontaneity was the reason why he fell in love with someone else. With me, there were no surprises. No excitement. Nothing to look forward to.
After gulping down some water, I ask Stephanie, “So how do you like living here?”
“It’s a helluva lot warmer than Pennsylvania, that’s for damn sure.” She smiles, and the mood instantly lifts. “Miami has its charms. It’s always sunny. Lots of culture. Beautiful beaches, good food—what more could a girl ask for?” She pauses, giving me a funny look. “Why hasn’t Max taken you
“The two of you moved here together?”
She nods, opening the door. We move aside to let an elderly lady go in before us. “Well, it was more like I followed him. I didn’t want to at first, but I didn’t want to live in PA without him—oh man, that smells good.”
As we step inside, I smell garlic, onions, peppers, and some type of spice I can’t name. My stomach does a little flip, growling. I didn’t even realize I was hungry until now. Matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time I ate. Lunch? No…breakfast? I think I only had a cup of coffee.
Stephanie and I stand in a small line of people waiting to order. She purses her lips as she stares at the menu, making her Monroe piercing sparkle.
“Did that hurt?” I ask, pointing to her lips.
“The piercing? Only a little. There’s a bunch of nerve endings in your lips, so it makes you sneeze a lot. I must’ve sneezed, I don’t know, maybe twenty times after it was over.” She laughs, and then looks at me curiously. “Why? Do you want one?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Too afraid of needles.”
“Ah, it’s not that bad.”
We order our food, and not too much later we find ourselves seated at an outdoor table. There’s a drool-worthy Cuban sandwich in front of me, and it tastes just as good as it looks. Delicious.
“So why don’t you live at the house with Trevor?” I ask Stephanie between bites. “Wouldn’t it be more convenient?”
She wipes her mouth with her napkin. “Yeah, I guess. But I’m kind of old fashioned. I want more of a commitment before we take that step.”
“Like a ring?” I ask, then shake my head at myself. “Sorry. I have a bad habit of asking personal questions. You don’t have to answer that.”
“No, it’s okay,” she says, waving her hand in the air. “And yes, a ring would be amazing. I mean, we practically live together anyway. If I’m not at his place, then he’s at mine. The thing is, Trevor came here because Max needs him. ’Course Max doesn’t think he needs him,” she pauses to roll her eyes, “but he does. Desperately.”
Stephanie looks at me, seeing my confusion, and explains. “I can’t really talk about it; it’s not my place. Max’s life is just…well let’s just say he hasn’t had an easy one handed to him. He doesn’t let many people get close, and if Trevor and I weren’t here, no one would be.”
I stop chewing, watching the way Stephanie’s eyes glaze over. If I’m not mistaken, there’s genuine sadness there. I’m curious to know what she means by that, but the other part of me remembers that I need to respect Max’s wishes. No personal stories, he said. Whether or not it comes from him, I shouldn’t be digging into his business.
“Anyway,” Stephanie continues. “I can’t move forward until I know Trevor is in a place where he can give me a hundred percent, and he just can’t do that right now. Sometimes I wish I knew exactly when that moment was coming, but I’m okay with the way things are between us. For now. One day I’ll get my ring.”
I nod, pretending like I understand, but the truth is that I don’t. Miles and I never had any looming questions; we had everything mapped out in advance. We planned to move into a place of our own after graduation, right after we got engaged. Sometimes I wonder if the missing spontaneity was the reason why he fell in love with someone else. With me, there were no surprises. No excitement. Nothing to look forward to.
After gulping down some water, I ask Stephanie, “So how do you like living here?”
“It’s a helluva lot warmer than Pennsylvania, that’s for damn sure.” She smiles, and the mood instantly lifts. “Miami has its charms. It’s always sunny. Lots of culture. Beautiful beaches, good food—what more could a girl ask for?” She pauses, giving me a funny look. “Why hasn’t Max taken you
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