“I’myour, what?” I teased, pulling her closer to my side.
“Nothing.Never mind.”
“I’myour nothing?” Pressing a hand over my heart, I groaned in false agony. “Ouch.”
Andyshoved against me. “Oh, God, stop. You know what I mean.”
“Nope.”I shook my head dramatically. “Don’t have a clue. You gotta say it.”
Wehad been seeing each other nearly every day for a few weeks, and there wasnothing mysterious about what we were doing here. We were together, as acouple, in a relationship. Boyfriend and girlfriend. But still, even as adults,labels don’t always come easy, slapping declarations of commitment onto thingsotherwise left to decide their own fate. And I was okay with the label, if shewas. I just wasn’t gonna be the one to say it first. I needed to hear it fromher, my timid and courageous Andy.
Shestopped abruptly on the sidewalk, pulled her arm from mine, and tore off herglasses, pressing a hand over her eyes. I took the moment to light a cigarette,and with pedestrians now dodging us with disgruntled glances, I watched hernerves unravel as smoke streamed through the air.
“Enjoyyour cancer, asshole,” some guy said, bumping his shoulder against mine, andwith a wave of the cigarette pinned between two fingers, I tipped my chin andreplied, “Thank you very much, sir. You have a fine day now.”
Andyburst abruptly with a boisterous laugh, dropping her arms to her sides andthrowing her head back. “Oh, my God,” she exclaimed. “What the hell am I evendoing with you?”
“Idunno.” I shrugged. “Having the time of your life?”
Shesighed, bringing her eyes back to mine. “I haven’t had a boyfriend since I wasin college.”
“So?”I pulled the smoke from my lips and exhaled. “I’ve never had a seriousgirlfriend, and I didn’t go to college. Why does it matter?”
“That’snot …” Her brow furrowed as she shook her head, almost as though she wasfrustrated with me. Or maybe it was something else entirely.
“What?”
Theshaking of her head slowed as her brow loosened and her lips curled into asmile. “I like this, and I’m just worried that it’s not going to work out. So,I—”
“Oh,my God, get out of the way,” a well-dressed woman groaned irritably, as shehurried around us with a little, hairy Chihuahua in tow.
“Yo,we’re havin’ a moment here!” I called after her, before turning back to Andyand saying pleasantly, “What were you sayin’, sweetheart?”
Puttingher glasses back on, she started to speak. “We should keep going—”
“Nah.These people don’t matter. There’s plenty of room for them to walk.” I suckedheartily at the end of the cigarette before dropping it on the sidewalk andgrinding it out with the heel of my boot. “If we’re doin’ this, we’re doin’ ithere.”
“Oh,God, I can’t—”
“Thesooner you say it, the sooner we can get movin’.”
Sherubbed her fingertips against her temples, pinching her eyes shut and pullingin deep breaths. In her glasses and scrubs, with her hair pulled back in achaotic knot, she looked so cute, and I was the anxious asshole, practicallybouncing on the spot, waiting for her to just say the damn thing.
“Fine,”she said, before adjusting her glasses and looking me in the eye. “Vinnie,you’re my boyfriend. Okay? Happy now?”
“Huh,”I muttered, nodding slowly, as I glanced around at the crowded street. “That’sfunny.”
“What’sfunny?”
“Theworld didn’t explode.”
Andylaughed and grabbed my arm, steering me around and continuing to walk towardPenn. “You’re freakin’ ridiculous.”
“Hey.You’re the one who acted like calling me your boyfriend would trigger theapocalypse.”
Wewalked through the city in an almost-comfortable silence, allowing the chorusof cars and neighboring conversation to fill the air. But when I glanced downat her, to relish in the fact that this gorgeous, successful woman was somehowmy girlfriend, I saw a look of trepidation on her face with pinched brows andher lip pinned between her teeth. And I couldn’t shake the feeling thatsomething was wrong, and I worried that something was me.
So,when we finally arrived at Penn and I had walked her down the stairs to waitfor her train, I finally asked, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
