Just As Planned

Anna: A Last Chance

Anna watched Mira lay out a plastic-lined picnic blanket on the grass and take two fleece blankets out of her backpack.

"Here," Mira said, handing Anna one of the blankets, "it's warm now but it'll cool off once the sun goes down."

It had been over a month since their dinner at the Cuban restaurant and it was strange to be out with Mira again. Anna could feel a shift in the way Mira was acting. She was still as friendly as she had been, but there was something different about her now. She seemed to be a little more distant, a little less intimate.

"I hope this is good," Mira said, sitting down next to Anna on the picnic blanket. "I like Debussy, but his stuff can be a little repetitive."

Anna nodded. She had no idea who Debussy was. She didn't like classical music. She had only told Mira she'd come with her because she said she couldn't find anyone to go with.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Mira asked.

"No, I have no idea whatsoever," Anna said. "Sorry."

Mira laughed. "You're the worst! You couldn't have at least looked him up before you came here?"

"That would make this feel like school, and I didn't want it to feel like school. I want hanging out with you to be fun and relaxed."

Mira smiled. "Just say you didn't think to look him up. It's fine if you didn't think to look him up."

"I didn't think to look him up."

"There. Was that so hard?" Mira smiled, her eyes squinting in the sun. The light was catching the wisps of hair that were trying to escape from her braids.

Anna wished she wasn't so scared. If she weren't scared, she would tell Mira that she liked her even though there were lots of people around.

Mira lay back on the picnic blanket. Anna wished she were a guy. It would have been easier to lean over and kiss her if she were a guy. And if Mira hadn't reciprocated, she would have taken her things and left, and not felt regret for never trying.

But Anna wasn't a guy; she was a girl. And that made it complicated.

"I'm really happy we're friends," Mira said. "I was worried that you would be upset with me because I didn't return your texts right away."

"I wasn't upset with you!" Anna said. "I was worried you were upset with me!"

Mira turned to her. "Really?"

"Yeah. I thought maybe you didn't want to talk to me anymore after I ran off to get that subway."

"What made you think I wouldn't I want to talk to you after that? Obviously I'd still want to talk to you! It wasn't like you abandoned me on the street! We were in the subway and I knew you needed to take the next one. It was understandable."

Anna's heart sank. "It was?"

"Yeah. You needed to get home. It would have been ridiculous for me to think you'd risk having to wait forever for a bus just to talk to me. It was cool."

Anna could feel her heart break. She never thought it was actually possible to feel a heart break, but here she was, on a sunny day in the park, feeling her heart break into a million pieces.

Mira had closed her eyes and stretched her arms over her head."I'm happy you weren't mad at me. I like being friends with you."

Anna smiled even though she wanted to cry. She lay down on the blanket next to Mira. "I like being friends with you, too."