Upside Down(33)

I snorted. “Funniest animal if it could talk?”

“Lemurs. Or Tapirs. Maybe giraffes. Or zebras. Oh wait, maybe that’s just because of Madagascar. I don’t know.”

“Most political animal if they could talk?”

“Pigs. But again, maybe that’s just an Orwellian response.”

“I love how your mind works.”

He blinked. “You do? Because it’s a scary place sometimes.”

We turned right at the intersection, which meant our time was almost up. “Okay, your turn with my question.”

“Oh, okay. And again, this one is from Angus, so I apologise in advance. Which sport would be the funniest to add mandatory amounts of alcohol to?”

I chuckled. “Um, I’m not a huge fan of any sport really, but I think drunk synchronised swimming would be hilarious. If they didn’t drown, of course. Floor gymnastics would be pretty funny. Except for the injuries.”

“Yeah, I could imagine if I tried to do that ribbon twirling after a few wines, it wouldn’t end well. And the balance beam…” He shook his head. “That was a lame question, sorry.”

“No it wasn’t.” The bus pulled into my stop. “But, if that was Angus’ question, what was yours?”

“Well, it’s kind of stupid too.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“Merry will probably kill me for asking this but this is something I’ve often wondered but never asked anyone, so okay,” he said. “Do you think maths is something we invented or something we discovered?”

His question took me by surprise. “Um. Okay, first, wow. Wasn’t expecting that.” People were getting off at my stop and there were only a few people to get on. I had to go. Shit, shit. “Secondly, I think it’s a human construct, like time. We are bound to it, it gives us order and clarity, and its importance is probably what confines us as a species. And thirdly, I think that’s a great question and I think you should ask the questions you want to ask because you’re really some kind of wonderful.”

I had to grab the door to stop it from closing on me as I raced to get off the bus. And by the time I could look back up through the window, all I managed to see was Jordan staring back at me with his mouth open like I’d rendered him speechless.

And he could look at me all starry eyed and get all flustered and ramble on about how good looking he thought I was, but it was he that did that to me. It was he who left my heart hammering and soaring at the same time.

He wasn’t like anyone I’d ever met. And normally I’d be reserved and hesitant, but it felt different with him.

Yes, I was in trouble. I was, without doubt, taken by his charm, his intelligence, his smile. But unlike the many times before, there was no dread lurking, lying in wait for disappointment to take its place. There was only anticipation and excitement of what was to come. Which was perhaps a little premature, given we hadn’t really discussed some critical issues, but I had the feeling this was the beginning of something amazing.

He might have said he wanted to start as friends, but there was a spark between us. He had to feel it. I wasn’t stupid. I could see how he looked at me, how his breath caught, how his pupils dilated. And even if it was only to be fleeting, I would still grab it with both hands. We definitely needed to have a conversation about expectations and limits, and I needed to know where his head was with the whole asexual thing. He’d mentioned it again in passing, so maybe he was getting more comfortable with it. But I wouldn’t force him, and I wouldn’t lead him down a path he was not meant to travel.

But holy hell, my heart skipped a beat when I thought of him, when I pictured his smile, his laugh. When I was near him, when he looked at me.

I threw on my running gear as soon as I got home, and I was just about to select a playlist on my phone to run to when my phone rang in my hand. My pulse spiked when I saw his name and I grinned as I answered. “Hey.”

“I almost died, just so you know. On the bus. You look at me and you stand too close and you say something sweet like I’m some kind of wonderful, and not only do I forget to tell you about the audiobook recommendations, I also forget how to breathe. It’s supposed to be an automatic and involuntary anatomical response, Hennessy, but oh no! You told me I’m some kinda wonderful and my brain stopped telling my respiratory system how to function. The soup crowd made me take a seat and practice Lamaze breathing just so I could tell them all about the questions game we play.”

I chuckled. “The Soup Crew?”

“Yes, the Soup Crew. That’s what I call the five people who spent twenty minutes yesterday discussing soups and Nepal after your stop. They’re very invested in our… well, how our relationship is progressing. I hope it was okay for me to call you, by the way. I was going to text but it was going to take too long, and thanks for the concern about my respiratory failure.”

I laughed. “I am very sorry about that.”

“You don’t sound it.”

“I’m making a mental note right now to give due notice if I intend to ever say anything sweet, which I probably will, just so you know.”

“Well, I’ll try to be prepared.”

“How did you go with the Lamaze breathing?”

“Really well, actually. Mrs Petrovski taught prenatal classes for thirty years.”