Marianne by Elizabeth Hammer (best books to read in life TXT) 📕

started twisting her hands together. “It’s just that Danielle told me something yesterday, and—”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” He tilted his head up to look at the stars. “I should have known. Danielle is involved. I should have freaking known.”

“You’re interrupting again,” she said.

“Sorry.”

Marianne found herself twisting her hands again. “She told me she’d been pressuring you to ask me out again, and that you kept telling her no.”

“Exactly,” said Patrick. “See? I didn’t ask you for any other reason than—”

“I’m not done,” said Marianne, putting up her finger again. “I’m not going to get through this if you keep running your mouth.”

Patrick nodded.

“You said that you would be willing to ask me again if I really liked you, but…” Marianne stopped talking.

Patrick had put his hand to his head and mumbled, “Oh man…”

Marianne swallowed. “You remember now?” she whispered.

He laughed. “Not exactly.” He laughed again. “But I have a feeling about what’s coming.”

“You said that if I didn’t like you, then you’d rather be spared the, um, effort.”

Patrick crossed his arms and smiled at her. “I don’t remember my exact word, but I most definitely did not say effort.”

Marianne stood up straighter and dropped her hands. “Torture,” she said. “Particular torture.”

He nodded. “Yup, that was it. And that’s very different from effort.”

Now it was Marianne’s turn for an uncomfortable laugh. “I know! It’s worse. I don’t seem so crazy now, do I?”

He shook his head at her, smiling softly. “Marianne, let me ask you something. How did it feel to go out with me tonight thinking that I had some ulterior motive?”

“Um… like crap?”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling bigger. “Might you even call it torture?”

“I guess, but—oh.” Marianne looked down at her shoes.

He nodded. “Exactly. I told her I didn’t want to date you if you didn’t like me. That was the torture I’d rather skip.” He stepped up closer to her. “Are we clear now?”

Marianne didn’t look up. She couldn’t. “Yes,” she said. “And you were perfectly right. That would be torture.”

“Good.” He tipped her chin up with his hand. “Now will you go out with me?”

Marianne smiled. “I guess.”

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me!” Patrick turned and walked away.

“Wait,” she called, laughing. She ran after him and caught the back of his shirt in her fist. “Yes,” she said. “Yes.”

They walked down the entire length of the mall, eating their melting ice cream, seeming a little less comfortable with each now that things were clear between them. Funny how that happened. Almost as funny as the nasty taste of Marianne’s ice cream. She hadn’t really wanted it in the first place, and she only kept eating because he was. When the ache started to form in her throat, though, she gave up on being polite and dumped it in a trash can.

“Tell me about your school,” said Patrick.

Oh, the fascinating stories she could tell about roller set after roller set. “I want to talk about beauty school as much as you want to talk about electrical work.”

“Accepted,” he said immediately. “What about your family?”

“If I could explain my mother to you, I would. She is unknowable.”

Patrick rolled his eyes. “I mean your whole family.”

“My dad’s family lives out of state and is therefore very boring. My mom’s family lives around here. They’re a little bit more interesting. In fact, my cousin just left a message on my cell phone last week telling me he got his first DUI.”

Patrick stopped walking abruptly and put the heel of his hand on his forehead.

Marianne nodded. “I know. Sweet, right?”

Patrick looked up at her and shook his head.

“What?” She crossed her fingers that Patrick wouldn’t give her any sweet DUI news of his own.

“Cell phone,” he said.

Well, that was a random thing to say. “Pink hippopotamus,” she shouted.

“What?” he said, laughing.

“Oh, sorry,” said Marianne. “I thought we were bringing things to a picnic. You know, I still don’t get that game.”

Patrick put his arm around her shoulder and laughed into her hair. “No, I’m busted. My boss ordered me to get a cell phone this weekend, and I forgot to do it. He’s tired of not being able to get a hold of me on job sites.”

“How annoying of him, forcing you into the future like that.” Marianne leaned against him to turn him in the other direction. She wasn’t brave enough to put her arm around his waist. “Come on. We still have time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No problem,” she said.

“How about if I make it up to you and take you to a picnic?”

“NO!”

“I’m going to a picnic, and I’m bringing psychotic dinosaurs. What are you bringing?”

“Egg salad?” whined Marianne.

Patrick inhaled through his teeth. “No, I’m sorry. You can’t come.”

Marianne pouted. “I never get to go.”

Patrick stopped outside the wireless phone store. “Listen. I’m bringing pickled dates. What are you bringing?”

“Puffy ducks?”

“No.” He turned to face her. “I’m bringing puffy ducks. What are you bringing?”

“You can’t bring puffy ducks! I thought of those; that’s not fair.”

“You’re not even trying.” He sighed. “No wonder they never let you come.”

Marianne turned in a huff and opened the door to the store. She didn’t want to go to that stupid picnic, anyway. “So, are you getting an iPhone, or what?”

“Something simple. I trash everything I own.”

Marianne walked up to the table and started flipping open all the different phones.

Patrick pulled one out as far as it would go on its bungee. “Do you like this one, ducky?”

Marianne gave him a dirty look, then glanced at the phone he was holding. “Ish. How about this one?”

Patrick came over to examine the phone she was fiddling with. He stood behind her, super close, but not touching. She felt like there was an electric shock fence two inches behind her. She couldn’t enjoy the moment, however. She still was too nauseated. “I don’t know how durable it is, though,” she said. “Why don’t you ask the guy about it while I go next door real quick. I need gum.”

“Gum?”

“My mouth is all yucky from the ice cream.”