Page 35 of Falling Again

“Tacos sound amazing.”

On the walk back to the house, I take Chloe on a proper tour of the ranch. The cottage, now her home, is located closest to the duck coop. She gently petted all six ducks, and they all wobbled around her feet. We collected the eggs, and she carried them back to the main house to place in the egg basket.

“I can open their coop in the morning and close it up at night if you want?” she says, swinging the basket gently at her side.

“Only if you want to. I don’t mind, and it’s part of my routine.”

“Maybe I can join you for that routine,” she says, looking up at me and giving me a gentle smile.

“I’d love that.” Say, nudging her shoulder. I steal a glance at her as we walk. The sun is dancing off her curls, and her smile rivals the sunbeams.

We swing around to the front of the ranch, where Lucy the llama’s pen is. Chloe gives Lucy a scratch under the chin, and we make our way inside. Scooter stays outside for a bit longer, running around the property. He found a mouse the other day and will constantly run laps around the perimeter, checking for pests. I didn’t even train him to do that. It’s like he’s hardwired.

Chloe takes a seat at the counter and chats with me while I make us tacos. I am working on autopilot, pulling out the hard seltzers and ingredients to make tacos. Chloe is rattling on about how much she loves mushrooms and is describing where they grow. I hand her a seltzer and our fingers graze, and I halt slightly before resuming cutting the veggies. Chloe clears her throat and continues on. I glance up at her and see pink has bloomed across her cheeks.

“Is this guava flavored?” she abruptly asks.

“Yeah, I saw them at the store and thought of you, so I bought them,” I answer.

“You remembered.”

“Of course, I even wrote a note in my mom’s cookbook. ‘Chloe likes guava icing.’” I reply without looking up. When she doesn’t reply, I find her gaze on me.

“What?” I ask, nervously laughing.

“It’s nothing,” she says and takes another sip of the seltzer. I open one myself and gently knock my can against hers.

“Cheers, to new neighbors.” I take two big gulps hoping the seltzer will tamp down the buzzing feeling that’s made its way to my heart from the moment we touched fingers.

We eat our tacos, carne asada for me and mushroom for Chloe, before we both collapse on the couch. I light the fireplace while Chloe grabs the remote for the TV. She flips violently through the channels before landing on reruns of Gilmore Girls. I haven’t watched this show since I was a kid, with my mom. This familiar ache of nostalgia comes over me, and I sit directly next to Chloe on the couch.

“Have you seen this show before?” she asks me, maybe sensing the pain in my face as I look up at the TV. The fall colors of the New England setting dance around the screen. We have similar colors here in Southern Oregon, but they are not as vibrant.

“I did, a while ago, with my mom.”

“Oh … I can change it,” she says, reaching back for the remote.

“No, no, it’s okay,” I say, putting my hand on top of hers. Sparks flare, like a firework dancing on pavement. The seltzer did nothing but amplify the buzzing feeling I have for Chloe. I’m drunk on the vibrancy she emits into my life whenever she’s near. It’s infectious and if anything, the guava alcohol elixir, has relaxed my guard rails I have up. In a bold move, I slide my hand under her own. She hesitates before curling her fingers around mine. Alarm bells and confetti cannons are simultaneously going off in my head, and I try to tamper them both down as she leans into my chest.

I don’t realize I am rubbing my thumb against her wrist until I look down at where our hands are joined. In this episode of Gilmore Girls, Rory is having a whirlwind romance with Jess, and they kiss. Chloe turns to me, her head still on my side. I look down at her and, without convincing myself otherwise, reach my hand to the side of her face and inch closer. The fireworks are blazing bright in my mind as our lips are nearly touching. I want to dive in but can feel the sober part of me throwing a lasso around my lust yanking me back. Just as I decide to ignore it, Chloe pulls back. Her eyes are still closed so I rest my forehead on hers. We stay in this moment for a beat. Scooter barks outside, the fireplace crackles, the TV cuts to commercial and our hands are still joined.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” she says finally, and I’d be lying to myself if I said it didn’t break my heart. Her blue eyes peer up to me as we retreat a few inches. “I like you a lot, but–”

“Chlo, it’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I get it. I really do.” I release my hand from hers, brushing a curl behind her ear. I think I heard her heart cracking too. “I think we got caught up in the moment, too many tacos and seltzer.”

“I think I read somewhere they’re aphrodisiacs. We should really be more careful.” Her face breaks into a smile and I can feel the tension between us relaxing.

I huff a breath, “Yeah and we’d be the talk of the town. Can you imagine, you and your landlord?” I chuckle trying to play off the joke.

“How scandalous,” she agrees, pink appearing on her cheeks again. “We’re still friends, though, right?” She asks, almost panicked.

“Of course, this was a blip. All friends go through this. Heck, I almost kiss Reid every week.”

“Why do I feel like that’s actually true.” Chloe grins at me, laughing.

“We’re good.” I assure her.

We resume watching TV, but I can’t help but notice she’s moved slightly farther away from me. Scooter settles in-between us and I try to convince myself it’s for the better.