“Not one word, not one gesture of yours shall I, could I, ever forget...” – Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
Eden:
“Oh my God, I had such a laugh with Chase at lunch today –“
“Chase and I were stuck with the filing today, I swear it would have been so boring if it had been anyone else – “
“I’m so glad Chase works there, everyone else is so old, and scary – “
“Chase bought me a cup of tea on his way in this morning, isn’t that sweet?”
Emma had been talking about this guy, Chase, at the law firm for weeks. When she wasn’t talking about him, her phone was pinging with texts from him. When she wasn’t talking about him or texting him, she was clearly thinking about him – her eyes glazed over and her jaw slackened and I could tell she wasn’t listening to a word I said.
“Oh for God’s sake, Em!” I cried as she shrieked with laughter at what had to be the fiftieth text that evening, “Just ask him out already!”
Her head snapped up; she gaped, “What? Why would I do that?!”
“Oh, don’t bullshit me. The fact that you like him is painfully obvious. Come on! I know you’ve got some romantic notion about him asking you and it being all traditional, but I don’t think I can stand this much longer...just ask him for a drink after work one evening or something, it doesn’t have to be a big dramatic gesture”
She scowled at me, “Oh, really? And when was the last time you went on an actual date?”
I scowled back, “That was harsh. I’m just trying to help, Ems!”
Her scowl fell away, “I know. I’m just nervous about asking, that’s all. If he says no it’ll be such a bore at work because we’ll be so awkward...”
“You’d probably just carry on like normal. Things are only awkward if you make them awkward”
“You think?”
“Yeah, I do”
“Ok. Right. Fine. I’ll...I’ll ask him tomorrow”
“Great” I grinned at her, “He’ll say yes”
She bit off a hangnail, “You think so?”
“I know so. I wish you’d believe me as easily as George does. Do you know, he asked me yesterday if mice make cheese and I wasn’t really paying attention so I said yes, and now he genuinely believes it’s true”
Emma cracked up laughing, “Eddie! You can’t let him believe that!”
“I’ll tell him before he starts nursery. I just love hearing how enthusiastic he is talking about it right now” I chuckled, and she laughed again.
“How long has he been asleep?”
“I put him down five minutes before you got in. We’re reading Narnia at the moment”
“Eden, he’s two and a half”
“Hey! He’s a very clever two and half. I change some of the words when I’m reading to make it easier...but I think he can tell I’m changing them now his reading’s getting better. He likes it”
“Hm. If you say so. I never had much time for Narnia, myself”
I grinned, “That’s because you’re an imbecile”
She flung a pillow at me, “You’re really on with the bitchiness this evening!”
I shrugged, “Just trying to help you out. You need my cold-hearted advice more than you let on”
YOU ARE READING
Paper Hearts
Romance“Something magical has happened to me: like a dream when one feels frightened and creepy, and suddenly wakes up to the knowledge that no such terrors exist. I have wakened up.” - Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy. Eden Copley is sixteen the day she meets O...
