Page 20 of Next Time We'll Fall

“Just in case you’re remembering a certain time slash incident years ago, where I offered myself to you and you turned me down. I was young and dumb. That’s never going to happen again.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Just in case you got any ideas into your head …”

“I have zero ideas in my head, so don’t worry about it.” I close the door and then head over to the driver’s seat and slide in.

I glance over at her as she buckles up. She’s looking at me with parted lips, and there’s an expression in her eyes that I can’t quite read.

“What is it?” I ask her.

“Hey, can I text Mia to let my cousins know they need a ride? Because we just disappeared and I don’t want them to thinkthey’ve been abandoned.” She pauses. “I know you said you were going to call, but you haven’t yet."

“I’m sure they’re not worried about being abandoned.” I laugh. “Your cousins are crazy.”

“They’re not crazy. They’re just fun-loving.”

“They’re crazy, fun-loving women.”

“What? So, you don’t like my cousins?”

“I think your cousins are great,” I say honestly as I start the car and pull out of the lot. “I just think they are young, naive, and slightly gullible, and they probably need someone like me to look after them as well.”

“Really?” She stares at me. “I think you lost your calling, Father Rafe.”

“What do you mean?”

“You should have been a priest or cop or a firefighter or something because you seem to like being in people’s business and taking care of them quite a lot.”

“Why does that not feel like a compliment?”

“Maybe because I didn’t mean it to be. It’s kind of overbearing—you know that, Rafe?”

“What? Trying to be protective and look out for you?”

“Undermining my every move. Trying to tell me what to do. It’s annoying.”

“Shall I turn back around and take you back to the bar so that you can give a lap dance to Adam, Mark, Peter, Paul, Jason, John, or anyone else who asks and get them off for the night? I’m sure they’ve all got plenty of singles.”

“What?” She looks at me with a mad expression. “That’s really rude.”

“I’m just saying. What did you think was going to happen tonight? They weren’t there because they were trying to find out if your personality was good.”

She stares at me for a couple of seconds and lets out a low sigh. “I know. And thank you. I didn’t necessarily want to continue on, and you were, I suppose, my unwanted knight in shining armor.”

“Your unwanted knight in shining armor?” I laugh. “I guess I’ll take it.”

We sit back in companionable silence as I make my way to her condo.

“So, anything new going on in your life?” I ask her.

“There’s a reason why I wanted to enter the competition today.”

“I know. You wanted to go against my wishes and what I thought was best because you’re stubborn.”

“It had nothing to do with you,” she says, glaring at me. “It was for …”

“Well?”