Page 46 of Five Things I See in You

We laugh without letting go. When I look up, Iris is waiting with her arms open.

“My turn,” she says, hugging us both.

Tessa strokes my back. Zoe kisses my cheek. The others gather around, some asking questions, others simply hugging me. I can’t manage much of an answer.

Mireya stays beside the stroller.

“I’ll give you a hug in a second. She just fell asleep, and it took us forever,” she says apologetically.

I go over to her. The baby has one fist beside her face, her mouth slightly open. Her blanket has slipped, so I pull it up over her shoulder.

“She never wants to sleep when Iris is around. Can’t imagine why,” Hades says.

“Man, what a life. Eat, sleep, eat again…”

“Shh. Keep it down. You’ll wake her,” Mireya whispers.

***

In the car, I call Beth before Noa even starts the engine.

“They dismissed it,” I say.

My sister goes quiet.

“Beth?”

“I heard you. I’m just trying not to cry at work.”

“I haven’t stopped crying since I came out,” I admit.

She laughs and tells me to call tonight, when I can tell her everything properly. Before hanging up, she asks to speak to Noa and makes her promise to make sure I eat well.

“By the way, I got an email from the club about the Belltown apartment while I was waiting,” Noa tells me, taking her right hand off the wheel to hold mine at a red light. “I told them not to renew the lease.”

For a moment, I worry.

“I still have several years on my contract, Jordan. I’m not just passing through,” she adds as we pull away. “And I’m happy here. With the team. In Seattle… with you.”

“Are you moving in with me for good?”

“I pretty much already have. Besides, somebody needs to make sure you eat properly,” she says with a wink.

***

That night, we put on a true crime documentary. Less than five minutes in, Noa points at a woman who’s just appeared on-screen.

“It’s the sister. She’s the killer. I’m sure.”

I pick up the black notebook from the table and write down the title.

“How many have I gotten right?” she asks, leaning over to look. “One out of fifteen?”

“One out of sixteen. And the one you got right interrupted us the first time we tried to have sex. Impeccable timing,” I say, leaning in to kiss her.

“I can’t believe you keep track of this stuff. You have too much free time.”

“I still owe you a date at the Space Needle,” I remind her. “How about Saturday? This time, we’re actually going up.”