The night before when I saw Nico’s family, it had me missing old times even more, but it felt great. I felt better than I have in a long time.

After work, I went home, got ready for class and drove to the college campus.

When I walk into the classroom, Nico is already there. He’s reading a book and listening to music again. My heart begins to pick up the pace from the sight of him.

I sit down next to him as he pulls out his earbuds and spreads them across his desk. “You ready for the quiz?”

Pulling a pen out of my backpack, I set it on the desk in front of me. “If I can remember it all. I finished watching the movie and don’t remember exactly everything that I watched.”

Nico taps the eraser of his pencil against the desk. “I don’t think the next movie is going to get much better. I didn’t make it all the way through the first one.”

We chit chat back and forth before Mr. Hendricks strolls into the classroom. He instantly begins passing out the quiz. No duck tie, but it does have chickens on it today. I shake my head to myself and laugh. Nico looks at me and mouths, “What?”

Nodding my head in Mr. Hendricks’ direction, I point at my chest, and Nico still has no idea what I’m talking about. “I’ll tell you later.”

I slide the quiz closer to me, scan down the page, and read all ten questions quickly. Easy peasy; I got this. I take my quiz, walk to the front, and hand it to the professor. I open my backpack to turn in the essay paper in a separate stack.

Mr. Hendricks gives a smile. “See you next week.”

That’s it? I knew we were going to take a quiz, but I thought he was going to teach or talk about it. Fine by me.

I wait in the hall with my back against the wall and wait for Nico. About ten minutes later, he walks out. “Finally!”

“You didn’t have to wait for me,” he smiles.

Shrugging my shoulders, I start walking off, and Nico pulls the handle of my backpack, drawing me back to him. My chest flutters happily, and I laugh.

“So, what were you laughing about in there?”

Turning around to face him, I point at my chest. “Did you see the tie?”

“You mean the chickens?” Nico looks toward the doorway.

“Yes!” I practically jump in the air.

“I think I need to get one of those for myself.”

“You should.” He would look cute in a chicken tie.

We start walking down the hall. “I didn’t realize we would get out so early. Do you want to come over and start on the other movie?” I ask.

“Not really,” he says, and I frown back at him. “I mean, I don’t want to watch the next movie, but I’ll come over and watch it with you.” I like that answer.

“Okay.” I search the parking lot and find his truck parked in a front space. “I see you were able to score VIP parking again.”

“Let me guess. You’re parked way out there again?” He points at the back of the parking lot.

“You guessed correct. What do I owe you?” I pretend to pull out a wallet.

He tilts his head to the side thinking hard about my question. “A pizza?”

“You want me to buy us a pizza on the way back?” I’m hungry, no, I’m starving.

“No, I will. After you get in my truck and let me drive you to your car.”

“Again, I’m going to pass on that, but I’ll see you back at my place. By the way, I like supreme minus the mushrooms.” I start backing away from Nico.

“That technically isn’t a supreme then.”

Pulling my arms up, I cross them in front of my chest. “Okay, smarty pants, what’s it called?”

Nico chews on the side of his lip. “Uh. One less topping supreme?”

“Whatever. You’re a nerd. See you in a little bit.” I wave and walk to my car, shaking my head to myself. Talking with him is so easy.

Tossing my backpack in the passenger seat, I start the engine and lower my head to the steering wheel. What am I doing? I haven’t felt this good about something in a long time.

I get to my place before Nico arrives, and I pull out the list of movies that we’re watching in class. Finding the one for week two, I locate it on my phone and press rent it now. Maybe this one won’t be so bad. It isn’t an old war movie. Again, it isn’t a movie that I have heard of. Where is this guy finding these movies?

Mom isn’t as old as Mr. Hendricks, but I read her the list of movies we’re supposed to watch in class. Her response was, “Did you just make those names up?”

Right after I order the movie and set it up on the TV, Nico knocks on the door. I let him in, and he’s carrying the pizza in one hand, a big bottle of soda and a white paper bag in the other.

I take the pizza from him and set it on the counter.

As I’m reaching in the cupboard for two glasses, he hands me the white paper bag. “What’s this?”

Nico sits down on one of the barstools. “I forgot to give it to you in class. I picked it up when I was on break today.”

Excitement and anxiousness set in, and I unfold the bag and look inside. “You didn’t!”

“I did.”

The bag is filled with all things white chocolate from Pete’s Candy and More. I yank out a square of white chocolate filled with peanut butter. I groan loudly as I take the hugest bite in my life.

He sets the bag on top of the counter. “Don’t worry. I got a bag of brown chocolate all to myself. That baby is all yours.” I’m secretly thrilled that he doesn’t eat any. I’m a little greedy when it comes to white chocolate.

Nico opens the lid to the pizza. “Here’s your one less topping supreme pizza.”

I kick his foot with mine and start pouring the soda. “Did Violet already leave?”

He pulls out a piece of pizza. “Yeah, she left this afternoon, but first stopped by the bookstore to make sure I was handling things correctly. She said I was doing a pretty good job at running the place but not as good of a job as her.”

I shake my head and laugh. Before we left the show last night, Violet told me that I had better start texting her, and she should only have to tell me that one time. I plan on texting her this weekend after she’s back in town and already settled.

While we are eating, my phone dings. I set down my slice of pizza and pick up the phone. “Sorry. Let me text Jessie back, or she’ll keep texting.”

“Tell her I said hey.”

I set the phone down on the countertop before I read her entire message. “Did I tell you she’s getting married?”

“No? To who?” Nico puts his pizza on his plate.

“His name is Henry. He seems good for her. They’re coming down in July if you want to meet up?”

“Sounds good to me.” He goes back to eating.

I pick my phone up again and press the home button.

 

Jessie: I know it’s far away, but I picked the colors for the bridesmaid’s dresses. I’m going with blue. You can pick out what shade of blue and what style.

Me: Great! Nico told me to tell you hey.

Jessie: What?????????????? He’s there now?

Jessie: Am I interrupting something?

Jessie: I am, aren’t I?

Me: Um, we’re sitting here eating pizza and about to watch a movie for class.

Jessie: Sure, you are. Just a reminder, protection is key.

Me: Talk to you tomorrow.

She’s crazy. I place my phone on the counter next to Nico’s and finish eating my pizza. “Sorry about that”

“I don’t mind.”

Nico finishes his fourth slice of pizza, and I finish my second. Then I grasp the bag of candy and dive into it. The last time I went to Pete’s was right after the ultrasound for the baby when we found out that it was going to be a girl.

Nico dropped Mom off after the appointment, and we still had about an hour and a half until we had to be at work.

Nico took my hand from my lap. “What are you thinking about? The baby?”

I felt guilty when he asked that question. Was I supposed to be thinking about the baby? We had recently found out it was a girl. I was fine with it being a boy or a girl. I only wanted the baby to be healthy, which everything looked good from the ultrasound.

“No. Nico, I was thinking about the white chocolate candy from Pete’s.” I pulled my hand back from his and brought them both to my face. “I’m going to be the worst mom on the planet. I’m still a teenager and am over here selfishly thinking about candy.”

He laughed so hard that I grew frustrated and wanted to throw him out of the car. “Did you think that maybe it’s Ruby thinking about the candy and not you?”

I folded my hands in my lap. “You’re only trying to make me feel better for being a selfish, delusional teenager that has no idea what she’s doing.”

He grew serious. “None of us know what we’re doing. My mom admitted to me that she still doesn’t know what she’s doing half the time now. We’re in a shitty boat and just have to make it to landfall.”

“What if that boat sinks?” I groaned.

“Then I’ll toss you a life jacket, and we’ll have to swim to shore.”

I moved my hand back to his. “Thanks for making me feel better. I’m not sure how long it will last, but I still want to eat that chocolate.”

“Don’t you fret, and don’t you fret either, Ruby.” He moved his index finger up and down at my stomach, as if the baby could see it.

Nico may have been young—he still is—but he would have been a great dad. I would have been screwing up all over the place, but he wouldn’t have been.

I eat half the bag of candy and then roll it up and put it away. Otherwise, I’ll eat the whole thing. I want to save some for tomorrow.

We sit on the couch, and I start the movie. The beginning score screams the nineteen-seventies.

My phone beeps, and I don’t get up to answer it. Then it beeps again. “I’m going to turn it off.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Nico says.

“Otherwise, Jessie will keep interrupting this glorious movie that my brain particles need to focus on.” I get up and snatch the phone off the counter.

Before I realize which phone I picked up, I click the home screen. I stare at it for a little too long before the phone fades to black, and then I click it again. It’s the picture that Violet took of Nico and me before she started sketching us that day. I look at Nico who is still facing the TV.

Do I say anything? Do I say nothing? I don’t want him to think I’m going through his phone, but I’m not going to pretend I didn’t see this. I walk to the futon and hold out the photo in front of his face. “What’s this?”

“What’s what?” He turns to the phone, and his eyebrows raise. He leaps off the couch, and I pull away from him before he can confiscate the phone. “Shit.”

I dart toward my room laughing, and he yanks me back and pulls me around my waist. I make a move to tear out from his grip, and he tugs me backward. Somehow, we both end up tripping, and he hits the ground with me safely landing on him like he’s my own pillow of safety.

I lie there breathing hard, and his chest is against my back breathing just as fast, and then he rips the phone from my hand.