“Catch them?”
“Got one, but the other guy was so fast, I swear he could’ve been on the Olympic track team or something…or it was just too early for running.”
Maria chuckled. It was a sound she used to fill the void of conversation. She didn’t want any awkward pauses.
“So, did you have a good birthday?” Joe asked.
Oh, please don’t mention what happened at the putt-putt course, Maria pleaded silently.
When he didn’t, Maria replied. “Yeah, it was pretty good. A little weird, but that makes things interesting.”
Claire flicked a glance at Maria and Maria had to turn away because she was smiling.
“That’s good to hear. I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything,” Joe said. He took a big bite out of the pizza. The pepperoni juice rolled down his chin, and he quickly wiped it away with a napkin.
He seems…nervous, Maria thought. He’s never seemed nervous before. It’s kind of cute.
“Ah, don’t say that,” Maria said. “You didn’t have to get me anything. I’m not much of a present person. Plus, I hate surprises. I’ve gotten enough surprises over the past twenty-four hours to last a lifetime.”
Claire and Joe both looked at Maria like she was crazy. Maybe she was; she didn’t know for sure. All of the previous day had seemed real.
“Well, listen, since I didn’t give you a present—but I did write on your Facebook wall, by the way—” Joe interjected.
“I never check that stupid thing. The internet scares me.”
“It’s a scary place, I agree.”
“But thank you for writing on it. I’ll have to check it soon…if I remember the password.”
Joe nodded. He smiled again. It was a nice smile; one that sent tingles all over Maria’s body. “Anyway, since I didn’t get you a birthday present, I was wondering…”
Claire leaned closer, a grin on her face.
Maria felt her stomach tighten around the flapping of butterflies.
“I was wondering if you wanted this piece of pizza?” Joe finished.
The chair squeaked and grated on the shiny mall floor as Claire sat back, disappointed. Maria, on the other hand, wasn’t. In fact, she was a little relieved. She wanted every moment she and Joe spent together to be perfect. Sitting at a table in a crappy mall with crappy Chinese and Italian food in front of them, with a dog to her right who she could hear speaking inside of her head wasn’t exactly her definition of perfection.
“I just noticed you didn’t have any food, and everyone else does. Even the dog has been chowing on Stir Fry 88. I figured you wouldn’t want to be left out.”
Maria nodded. The humor of the situation was starting to hit her. “Uh, yeah, I guess if you’re not going to eat it.”
Joe smiled. He took one last bite from his slice and passed the tray to Maria.
Maria started to finish it off.
“But that’s not really what I wanted to ask you,” Joe admitted.
Claire leaned forward again.
Sherlock announced, This one is a tease. I don’t like him.
Maria rolled her eyes and instantly regretted the gesture, hoping Joe didn’t think it was directed at him.
“I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go out this weekend. I don’t know, maybe bowling or dancing or something,” Joe said. He scratched the back of his neck. His face flushed the slightest bit, making his smooth skin look sunburned.
Screw everything she’d thought earlier. Joe could ask her anytime and it would’ve been the perfect time.
Everyone waited, holding their breath.
“Maria?” Joe asked nervously.
A decent amount of time had passed, but Maria had hardly noticed.
“Earth to Mariaaaaaaa,” Claire said, then leaned over the table and flicked her ear.
“OW!” Maria grabbed her earlobe.
The world came back into focus, all of it spinning in a dizzy, lovely haze. “Yes,” she said, quietly. Then louder, “Yes! Yes, I’d love to.”
“Really?” Joe’s jaw dropped. He almost had to pick it up off of the floor.
“Yes, really,” Maria said, suspiciously. It took her a moment to realize Joe wasn’t kidding, that this was actually real. When she did, she took a napkin out from under the paper Sbarro plate and wrote her number down.
“Just text me later and we’ll make plans.” She scooted her chair away from the table. “Gotta get back to the popcorn place. You know, serve that big line of people.” She motioned to the kiosk near the entrance of the food court. The neon lights were on, but there wasn’t a soul in sight waiting for a bag of delicious, homemade-recipe caramel corn. There probably wouldn’t be for a long while.
She stood and called to Sherlock, who was busy trying to get a pea from the fried rice that had fallen under Claire’s tray.
“I’d better get back, too,” Claire said.
“Thanks again for the pizza,” Maria said to Joe. “And text me.”
He smiled dreamily. “I-I will.”
As Claire and Maria walked back to their stores, Claire was practically hyperventilating. “Oh, my GOD! We should go play the lottery or something!”
“What, why?”
“We bagged both of our crushes.”
“Oh, stop. ‘Crush’ is such a girly word. Don’t use that.”
“Whatever. You should’ve seen yourself. It was like…like you were on fire!” Claire said. She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s still there. He’s looking down at the napkin you wrote your number on and practically drooling.”
“Quit it!” Maria said, but she wanted to look, too. She couldn’t. She believed if she did, she’d ruin all the magic—funny choice of words, Maria—that had stolen over her and given her the courage to say yes and actually write her phone number down on the napkin. So she didn’t look back. Instead, she just let the magic guide her.
Two o’clock came, and the customers didn’t.
Claire kept walking up to the counter and messing with the cup of pens and office supplies Ted kept by the cash register. Each time she did, Maria wanted to tell her about what she’d seen the previous night. The dead boy named Duke and the magic he’d used to show the past to her. It was crazy,
