Page 64 of The One Where They Fall in Love

Oliver

I have a problem with the phrase “falling in love.”

Falling happens fast. When you fall off your bike as a kid, it happens so fast, you’re barely able to register what’s happening before you hit the ground. When you turn thirty and suddenly tripping on a crack in the sidewalk turns into a weeklong back spasm, you don’t remember the moment you fell. It happens too quickly.

I remembereverymomentof falling in love with Elle Thompson.

Which is why I won’t say I fell. Of course, it doesn’t sound as poetic, but I walked into it. Like an old lady crossing the street using a walker when you’re sitting at a red light and have to pee.Thatlevel of slowness.

It wasn’t like falling off of a bike or tripping on the pavement. I remember meeting Elle outside my apartment door at the ass crack of dawn. I remember the threadbare blue t-shirt she wore, and the disdainful look on her face when she saw me. I remember the first time I heard herlaugh, and the smile that lit up her face every time she saw Thor. I remember the first time I kissed her, the first time I watched her sleep on the couch in my apartment.

Slowly, steadily, I walked into love with her. And there is no turning around.

“She was right to call you Grimace,” Henry tells me one night at the gym, coming up behind me and startling me. I must have been staring into space again instead of actually lifting any weights.

“I’m sorry?”

“Elle. She told me she likes to call you Grimace, but not to your face. So on point,” he says, sliding a weight onto a barbell.

“What is Grimace?”

“The mascot from McDonald’s. Big purple guy with a grouchy face?”

I pull out my phone and Google this character. Once I see photos of it, I realize that it’s the creepy purple guy that Elle would send me gifs of. Great. So glad it took me this long to figure that one out.

“I’m sorry I’m not a ray of fucking sunshine for everyone,” I grumble, leaning against the cage. I miss Elle. I can’t believe how much I miss her. She came barreling into my life at a time when I was so uncertain about what to do with myself. She gave me a kind of purpose, or a distraction.

No, distraction doesn’t do her justice. Elle and I were so in tune with each other—trying to figure out what made the other tick. In a way, we were perfect for each other, the most unlikely friends. Elle wanted me to be her project, so she could be my “hype girl.” But all the while, I just wanted to convince her that she is anything but the side character.She’s the main character of every room she walks into. I just wish she could see it.

“You have to snap out of this, man,” Henry says, slapping me on the back. “Or you have to do something about it.”

“Something like what?” I ask.

“Something that doesn’t include moping around my gym,” Henry says, his voice stern. “You made this girl think that being with her wasn’t what you wanted. That you weren’t the settling down type. Figure your shit out and show her that you are. Show her that you’ll be here when she’s ready to give you another chance.”

*

I’m at the dog run with Thor early the next morning. I sit on the top of a wooden bench, watching Thor run around and have the time of his life. I shake my head as he rolls around in a puddle of water created by a sketchy-looking hose in the corner of the dirt park. This weekend is Memorial Day, and the weather is certainly warming up for it. I keep glancing at the entrance to the park, picturing Elle walking through the gate, smiling when she sees me. Wishful thinking.

Central Park on a slow morning has become one of my favorite things about the city. Maybethefavorite. I never thought I could accept living here, let alone loving this city so much that I think of it as home. So much has changed since Elle took me on our first outing to the Highline.I’vechanged. A part of me always felt like being in New York was somehow giving in to my father, letting him win. These last few months with Elle, Henry, and even Thor have shown me that I’ve made a life for myself here. New York is not the enemy anymore.

Henry’s words echo in my head for most of the day. I know he’s right. I need to do something. I guess part of me has been procrastinating, letting myself live in limbo for a while. I think the truth is I’ve been second-guessing myself. Is being a doctor really something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life? Do I want to be where my dad is in thirty years?

With that thought, my phone rings in my pocket, and I’m disappointed to see my sister’s name flashing on the screen. I’ve only spoken to my sister a few times over the last few months, so I sigh as I answer the call.

“Hey Soph,” I say, my voice low.

“Hey, I’m FaceTiming you, why didn’t you turn your video on?”

“I’m at the dog park withyourdog. I’m not going to be one of those idiots who FaceTimes in public,” I say loud enough for the person on the bench opposite me to hear. The person who is very much on a FaceTime call. I eye the person next to me knowingly. She nods.

Sophia ignores my snide comment. “How is my little buddy?”

“I think he’s officially mine at this point.”And Elle’s, I finish in my head. My stomach drops at the thought.

“Um, I’m not sure if that’s true,” Sophia responds, drawing out her words.

“You adopted a dog and moved away from it for a year, Sophia. I don’t know what kind of monster has inhabited my sister, but I wouldn’t give this dog back to you even if you—”