I walked in, and saw Joey reading a note that was taped to the fridge. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at me. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from jumping up and down and squealing like a little girl.
"Carrie says she's sleeping over at a friend's house," he told me, gesturing to the note.
"Oh, um, okay." Now that I was here, I really had no idea of what we were going to do.
"Um…" Joey rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "So…"
It wasn't completely awkward yet, probably because the giddiness from the car ride hadn't worn of yet, and I wanted to keep it that way. I desperately wracked my brain for something to do, and then I saw the mini-playground in his backyard. It wasn't one of those cheap plastic kiddie ones, it was exactly like the ones you find in parks, all metal and sturdy-looking.
Joey must have seen my face light up, because he turned around to see what I was looking at. He looked back at my face, and hesitantly asked, "Do you want to go play in the playground? Um, I know we're a bit, uh, old for it, but it's still pretty fun, and-"
He stopped talking when he saw that I was nodding empathetically. I know it's childish, but I love swing sets. Like, love them. I could sit on a swing for hours, going as high as I could, and then just slowly swaying back and forth. No matter how much I begged, my dad never let me get a swing set in the back yard, and I always felt awkward when I went to the playground.
"Well okay then." He opened the door and gestured for me to go first. My eyes were shining as I practically skipped through. I ran straight for the closest swing, and was already high in the air by the time Joey caught up. It felt good to be swinging free.
My hair was whipping around my face, and I was laughing. At some point, he started laughing along with me. Just hearing that sound made my heart soar. I felt like my heart was filled to the brim with happiness.
I glanced at him a few times, and each time he was smiling warmly back at me. Eventually, I slowed to a stop, and I realized that he'd been still for a while. I looked over at him and saw that he was watching me, leaning his elbows on his knees, propping his head up. Instantly, I felt my face turn red.
"Oh no, please don't get embarrassed!" He straightened up, his own face coloring to match mine. "I'm sorry, it's just…" he trailed off. "You looked so happy! I couldn't help it! Mary, I'm sorry, I was just-"
I cut him off. "It's fine." I said, smiling shyly at him.
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you, I really didn't mean to be a creeper or anything, it's just…," he paused again, and I cocked my head.
"Just what?" I asked curiously. He looked at me and seemed to be debating whether or not to tell me. "Please?" I prodded.
He nodded his head. "Well, I was just thinking that you looked so…," he paused, searching for the right word. "So happy, so carefree and innocent. People should look like that more often. Like they're just… happy to be alive." He bit his lip and gave a little nervous laugh. "I'm sorry, that was awkward, wasn't it." He said guiltily.
"It's fine." Then, before I could actually think about what I was saying, I said, "I like hearing what you think. Not many people are honest like that. I think it's very sweet." And then, when my brain caught up to my mouth, I cringed. I should really stop it with the word vomit.
Then I realized that he wasn't on the floor laughing at me. "That was cute," he told me, "You, like, blushed, and with the swing, and your hair, and, well…" he was stumbling over his words. "I mean the swinging…"
He looked into my eyes, and my breath caught in my throat. "It was beautiful," he trailed off again and looked at me "You're beautiful," he breathed.
I couldn't believe my ears. I saw him bite his lip as he realized what he said. I could feel a smile stretching across my face, and I can honestly say that I don't think that I have ever been happier in my life.
Still grinning – I was probably starting to look like the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland – I stood up off the swing.
Joey stood up too, looking unsure, and then I hugged him. I hugged Joey Parker. I felt him smile into my hair, and then he hugged me back. Joey Parker was hugging me back!
Then he murmured, "You are beautiful, Mary" and my life was complete.