Life In Reverse(22)

I’m chastising myself the entire short walk back into the shop. I pick up the stupid snow globe from behind the damn Blow Pops and slam it down on the counter. The guy behind the register stares at me with a stupid-ass grin that I want to punch right off of his face.

“Mickey Mouse piss you off?” Then he lifts it and views the price underneath. “Pretty hard to resist though, huh?”

“Something like that,” I mumble, dropping cash into his hand.

When I jump back in the car, another smug grin awaits me.

“What’s this? I didn’t know you had a thing for Mickey Mouse.” He taps a finger against the side of his head. “Come to think of it, there’s only one person I know of who does.”

The smile he’s sporting is too big for his face, not to mention disconcerting. I lean my head against the glass in silence all the way home, staring at freaking Mickey Mouse and wondering what the hell is happening to me.





I WALK UP the steps to Ember’s front door, pacing for a full five minutes before I ring the bell. My palms are sweaty and I’m suddenly regretting yesterday’s purchase and questioning what I’m doing here. That is—until she opens the door. Her soft brown hair is tousled from sleep, Mickey Mouse pajamas somehow putting me at ease.

“Oh, hey.” She rubs one eye with the back of her hand. She doesn’t seem bothered by my presence this early in the morning. Which is good, I guess. What strikes me the most is that she doesn’t give two shits about the fact that her hair is sticking up, or that she has a tiny spot of drool on the corner of her lip. Something I probably won’t point out.

“Hey.” I shove the thumb of my injured hand in my back pocket. “Sorry to come by so early. I, uh, just wanted to see, you know… how you were doing from the other night.”

Groggy from sleep, it takes her a second to come up to speed with my question. She blinks a few times, shuffling her bare feet on the carpet just inside the door. “I’m better. Thanks.”

“Okay, well… that’s good. All right,” I look over my shoulder, “I guess I’ll be going, then.”

“What’s in the bag?”

Oh right. The bag.

“It’s… nothing much.” I stare down at the bag and crinkle it a little. “Just something I happened to see, and… pick up for you. It’s stupid, really.”

She eyes the bag as if she can see inside it. “How about you stop with the disclaimers and let me decide for myself?”

I gnaw on the corner of my lip before lifting the bag and holding it out in front of her. “Right.”

As she takes it from my hand, a weird lump forms in my throat and I swallow it down. Her green eyes widen with excitement and for a second she looks—f*cking adorable—like a little girl who races down the stairs at Christmas in her Mickey Mouse slippers. The image makes me chuckle to myself, but then I clear it and have to question what the f*ck is wrong with me. She pulls the globe out of the bag. I hold my breath as she examines it, head angled to the side until her cheeks curve and she beams.

“I love these.” She shakes it, watching with an amused expression as the little white flecks float around inside the plastic. “Honestly, I can’t tell you how many times Avery has dragged me shopping and I stop to admire the snow globes, but never buy one for myself. I’ve never seen a Mickey Mouse one either.” She lifts her eyes to mine. “Thank you. That was really thoughtful.”

“Yeah, sure.” I lower my eyes to the ground, finding it difficult to hold her gaze. “Okay. Well, I’ll see ya.” As I turn toward the steps, her voice stops me and I whip my head around.

Ember peeks over at the bench then back to me. “Do you want to sit for a bit?” She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “Since we’re friends and all now.”

“Sure.” I clear a path with my good hand, gesturing for her to go first. “After you, Mickey.”

She cracks up as she takes a seat, though her laughter dissolves when she glares at my other hand, her mouth hanging open. “What happened?”

I flex my fingers a few times and while the pain has lessened some, the skin is still fairly raw. “I ran into a wall.”

“Really?” She prompts in complete disbelief, placing the globe down on the bench.

“Really. It wouldn’t budge so I f*cked it up.”

Ember breathes out a small laugh, crossing her arms over her chest. “Gee, I’ve never heard that one before.” Then she adds, her stare burning up my face. “Care to tell me the truth now?”

“Not really.” Even as I say it, the words don’t sound all that convincing. Part of me does want to tell her what happened to relieve the weight that sits on my chest. And maybe so I can breathe for the first time in days. Something stops me though, and instead, I stare out at the bushes lining her front yard. “Those are some seriously f*cking perfectly-trimmed bushes.”

“Right. It’s none of my business. Sorry I pried.”

“No, it’s not that. I’d just—”

“Rather talk about my perfectly-trimmed bushes.” She taps her forehead with the heel of her hand, her rosy cheeks turning crimson. “I can’t believe I just said that.” Gesturing toward the trees with her chin, she explains. “My mom is an interior designer so all that visual stuff is really important to her. She’s really into the whole balance thing.”