Burying her face against my chest, Grace laughs, mumbling, “Jade.”
And with that, we leave the building. The wait will make licking every inch of her skin that much more delectable. At least that’s the lie I tell myself as I readjust myself before stepping out onto the sidewalk.
“So where are we going?” She twines our fingers together as we walk down the street.
“It’s a surprise,” I answer, squeezing her small, warm hand in mine. “But if you’re up for it, I’d like to walk.”
“A stroll through the city with this piece of man candy on my arm.” She looks up at me, her eyes bright and shining, her smile full and warm. “I can’t think of anything better.”
I’ve always enjoyed walking through the streets of Manhattan, basking in the lively feel of pretty much everything. But doing it with Grace’s hand in mine, listening to her jabber on about her day, that brings it all to life in a completely different way. “So the school called,” she says out of nowhere.
We haven’t talked about her new job since I dropped her off at the train station. On her words, more than a touch of tension fills our bubble of space. “Oh, yeah,” I answer tentatively. “Was it a good call or a bad call?”
“Good,” she says excitedly. “I actually met with the superintendent yesterday afternoon.” Looking up at me, she’s gauging my reaction. Her words stop me in my tracks, not because I’m upset she didn’t call, but because I can’t wait to hear how it went.
There’s a small coffee shop a few feet in front of us. Walking us over to a table in their outside seating area, I pull out a chair for her, prompting her to sit. “I’m sorry,” she admits quietly. “I overreacted with you calling in a favor to get me the interview. And it was childish of me to be all shitty about it.” Taking a deep breath, she covers my hands with hers. “I never said thank you and that was so very wrong of me. So thank you.”
“You know this isn’t going to be the first time I help you out. I’ve never been in one before, but I think this is how relationships work. I help you. You help me. It’s some crazy shit like that,” I joke. “But seriously.” I use the change in tone to lace our fingers together, staring deep into her eyes. “It’s okay that you were upset with me. Maybe I did overstep my boundaries. I was just doing what I thought was best for you.”
“You’re too good. I flip out on you and here you are being the sensible one.” Pulling our hands up to her soft lips, she kisses my knuckle, a playful glimmer in her eyes. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise,” she mutters, a seductive lilt to her words.
“Sounds like a plan. This whole you making it up to me.” I try my best for a sexy grin, but when she calls me a dork, I guess I fail. “Sure am, but now I’m your dork.” When she smiles at me, I can tell she likes the sound of that. Standing from the table, I pull her next to me. “Let’s go. If we don’t hurry, we’ll miss it.”
“Miss what?”
“There’s no fun in telling you.” I grin again, this time looking slightly less like a dork.
On the rest of the walk to our destination, she tells me about how she’ll be starting a summer curriculum writing project. She’ll be paired up with two senior English teachers and a team of social studies teachers as they revamp the interdisciplinary reading and writing program. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I couldn’t be prouder of her.
“So will you be taking the train out there every day?”
“Actually, I think it’ll be easier if I move,” she explains. “I mean, it’s well over an hour-long commute on a good day. Jade and I talked about it yesterday after the second interview. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Look at you! A new job, new apartment, and I’m assuming a new car, too. I mean unless you plan on living in the basement of the school, but I’m pretty sure they frown on that.” We laugh as our joined hands swing between us.
“I know. It’s crazy how quickly everything is changing. But they’re good changes. I’m really excited about it all. My parents are actually going to come and help me find a car and do a day of apartment hunting with me.”
Part of me is wounded that she didn’t think to ask me, but at the same time, given my level of interference last time, I can understand why.
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”
Looking up at me with a hint of shyness in her deep blue eyes, she asks, “Would you come with us?” She worries her lip, waiting on me to answer. “I told them about you . . . I mean about us and they were really excited to see you. Plus, you know so much more about the area than I do. I know I chewed you out for helping before, but I would really love it–” she rambles, cutting herself off when she sees the laughter lighting up my face.
“You’re kind of cute when you ramble like that.”
Offended, she gasps, “I was not rambling.”
“Yes, you were.” I laugh past the matter-of-fact words. “And yes, I’d love to help. It’ll be nice to see your parents after all these years.”
Stretching up on her toes, she presses a soft kiss to my cheek. “You’re perfect. Thank you.”
“So are you,” I whisper, looping my arms around her waist. “And so is this.” Our lips come together in a moment of emotion unlike any I’ve ever felt. For some reason, this simple kiss means more than I can put to words—as if it’s a kiss promising something unnamable and intangible. Something fleeting yet permanent. Something alive and breathing right here between us.
As our lips move apart, I turn us around to show her where we are. And my timing couldn’t have worked out any better, either. “It’s beautiful. Breathtaking, actually,” she gasps, covering her mouth with her hand.
And it is. The 9/11 Memorial is one of the most awe-inspiring locations in New York. There’s a mystical tranquility surrounding the place, a spiritual reverence hovering right at the surface. “I wanted to bring you here because it’s so important to me.” With the sun setting in the early evening sky, the entire location is almost glowing. Holding her hand, we walk into the grounds. “These lives”—moving my hand along the wall on which the victims’ names are engraved—“were taken far too soon. I was in middle school when it happened and I remember my teachers panicking. We had no clue what was going on, but we knew it was something big. All I remember was my dad picking me up from school early. He had tears in his eyes as he signed me out and by that point, I’d heard enough to know that we’d been attacked.”
Offering me her wordless support, she squeezes my hand as we look into the tranquility pool. The sound of the water cascading over the edges drowns out the surrounding noise of the city. “In the weeks and months that followed, I pieced together most of what happened. Well, as much as a thirteen-year-old could have. It really affected me.” Raking a hand through my hair, I stare out across the water, watching the surface shimmer and sparkle as it reflects the lights of the surrounding memorial.
“It affected all of us.” Gazing up at me, there are tears in her eyes.
“Seven guys from my squad died that day. Seeing their names and faces on the walls of my station every day . . .” Fighting hard, I swallow back the emotion rising in my chest. “It gives me a purpose, you know? Like I’m living their legacy. I know this probably all sounds really cheesy.” I huff, a little embarrassed by my show of emotions. “But you said you wanted to get to know me and I couldn’t think of a better place to bring you to show you who I really am. This,”—swiping my arm to the side, I put the memorial on display before dropping my arm on her shoulder—“these people, this city, it’s more than just a job. It’s been in my blood since the night I saved you. And being a part of something bigger than myself, it’s all I know. So it was natural for me to show you the most important part of who I am.”
“David . . . I . . .” Words fail her, the sound of the water filling the silence.