Page 133 of The Incredible Ordinary

“You have five pairs. Just pick another pair.”

“I need my lucky cleats, Dad!” He disappears back into his room.

Yup. I shouldn’t have wasted my breath on a stupid suggestion like that.

I press my lips together and lecture myself not to lecture him while I wait.

“Where did you put them after the last game?” I call after another few minutes have ticked by.

Silence.

I sigh, and I’m starting to make my way upstairs when Theo barrels out of his room.

“Found them.” He waves the cleats at me when he sees me.

I raise a brow. “Where were they?”

“Where they were supposed to be. In their proper place,” he says. “Where I put them.”

Dog barks, tongue lolling, tail wagging.

I scratch him behind the ear. “Aww. You smell lies, too. That’ll be useful in the long run. Who’s a good boy?”

Theo rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling.

“Come on. We have to go,” he throws over his shoulder, already halfway out the door. “We promised to pick Rory up, too, remember?” he yells from what sounds like the street already.

“Yeah, sure.I’mthe reason we haven’t left yet.”

“Dad!” he shouts, to let the whole neighborhood know we’re leaving. I’m sure they appreciate it.

I give Dog one more quick scratch before I jog out the door.

I’m distractedthe whole way to Milán’s place. It’s my new state. Me, distracted to the point where I barely get anything done. I try to pay attention, but my resolve to be productive disappears the moment I picture Milán smiling at me.

It’s ridiculous how one person can take over all the usable space in my brain. I’m gonna be fired from my job if I continue like this, and I’ll have to become a street musician to make ends meet, even though I don’t have a decent enough voice to pull it off, but I’m not even worried about it.

I haven’t seen him in two days. Two long days of spacing out, smiling like a lunatic, grinning like a fool every time my phone chimes, replaying moments with him in my head. It’s my new favorite movie.

I almost miss our stop because in my mind, I’m somewhere else entirely.

“Dad.” Theo pokes my cheek.

We get off the train and make our way to the street, and I try to look normal and not like I’m in over my head and sointohim.

The fact that even the sight of his building makes me grin does not bode well for my act-normal plan.

I look around when we reach the front door, but there’s no sign of Rory anywhere.

“He remembers we’re coming, right?” I ask Theo.

“Remembered twenty minutes ago,” he says. “I texted him. He said he’d be outside.”

“Try him again?” I suggest.

Theo fishes his phone out of his backpack. His fingers fly over the screen as he types. We wait for a bit, but there’s no reply.

I go and press my thumb on the buzzer, but nobody answers.