Gardner barely had his hand on the front gate before he heard the music curling towards him through the warm, morning air.
'Like a fool, I went and stayed too long, now I'm wondering if your love's still strong. Ooo, baby, here I am, signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!'
Margaux grinned at him from her usual spot, her feet propped up on the table she was sat at. A pair of red, heart-shaped sunglasses shielded her eyes from the sun.
He couldn't stop smiling, even if he wanted to. This girl was something else. "Hi, Margaux."
"Good morning, Mr. Postman."
She removed her feet from the table and turned down her music in one smooth motion, still grinning at him. Gardner didn't think anyone had ever looked as pleased to see him as Margaux always did.
"I have something for you," he said before he lost his nerve. He dug into his mailbag, turning a little further than necessary to hide his pink face "From my brother." He pulled out the slightly squashed orange and cinnamon cake that Calvin had baked over the weekend. "He's embarrassing but a really good baker."
Gardner had been debating whether to give it to her throughout his walk, going back and forth with himself all morning. Calvin pressed it into his hands just before he left the house, insisting that he give it to Margaux. He was too afraid to ask if Calvin had just decided on a whim that his latest creation should be a gift for the lovely lady at Number Nineteen, or if he'd planned it all along.
Margaux could hardly believe her eyes as he passed her the wodge of cake wrapped in Clingfilm. She couldn't remember the last time someone had given her a gift. "That's... That's so lovely. God, it smells great, Gard." She raised her sunglasses so that she could look at him properly. "Tell him thanks for me. And thank you for delivering it."
"It's my job." Gardner shrugged, shooting her a rare, confident smile.
Margaux was so stunned, both by the gift and his lovely smile, that she couldn't help stepping forward and quickly kissing his cheek. Gardner stared at her in surprise and she panicked for a moment, afraid she'd been too forward, but then he began to smile.
Trying to hide how relieved she was, Margaux smiled back, raising the cake and nodding towards her house. "I'm gonna eat this right now. Do you want some?"
Gardner didn't get a chance to reply. Margaux hopped over the front step and disappeared inside her home without a backwards glance. He hesitated, hand nervously clutching the strap of his bag. He could hear her clattering around in the kitchen. He almost chickened out, but the promise of spending more time in Margaux's company gave him the courage to push open the door and step inside.
When he found his way into the kitchen, Margaux had already cut up the cake. He couldn't help laughing, it was only a small cake but instead of cutting off a couple of slices, she'd split the whole thing in two, half for him and half for her.
"Hang on, lemme get you a cuppa," Margaux said, moving rapidly around the kitchen between cupboards and drawers as she fished out two mugs and the teabags.
Gardner watched her move with a fond smile. He couldn't be sure what it was, perhaps the excitement in her voice as she chattered away, asking him how he liked his tea, asking about his route, but Gardner got the distinct impression that Margaux didn't often have company. Again, he wondered if she was lonely.
She pressed a mug into one of his hands and a plate of cake in the other, asking if he wanted to stay in the house or sit outside. It was a nice day so they decided to head back out onto the porch. Instead of sitting at the table, they plonked themselves down on the bottom porch step.
It was the first time she'd appeared nervous. Usually, Margaux was extraordinarily relaxed, lounging about like a cat on a warm day. A small part of him wondered if it was because of him but it was drowned out by the much larger, rational part of his head that almost didn't want to believe that someone like Margaux could like him like that.
She smiled at him, that bright, wonderful smile that made Gardner feel like the most important person in the world, and said, "I like your hat."
"Thank you."
Margaux's smile grew when Gardner self-consciously touched the brim of his uniform helmet.
"I like, uh..."
Margaux chuckled as he trailed off. "It's alright, Mr. Postman, you don't have to return a compliment."
"I wasn't going to."
"... Right."
"I mean-" Gardner huffed, embarrassed. He struggled to hold her gaze as he said, "I was going to say, I like you."
Margaux stared at him for a moment, her lips parted in surprise. Gardner's heart was in his throat. He almost apologised and took it back but then her shocked expression was split by an enormous smile.
"Right," she said again, biting her lip to try and hold back her grin but with little success.
Gardner's face felt so hot, he had to take a sip of his drink, which he forgot was still steaming. He burnt his tongue but tried to play it off like he was just enjoying his tea but he had a feeling Margaux saw right through him. He sighed, keeping his gaze on the floor for a moment while he tried to formulate what he wanted to say to her in his head.
Margaux waited patiently. He loved that about her, how she always gave him time to say what he wanted, never interrupting or speaking for him. There was a lot he loved about her, but he pushed that thought to the back of his head for another time.
"Linda's back from vacation tomorrow," he said at last, his gaze flicking back up to meet hers. "Today is my last day."
Margaux's smile disappeared. She didn't even try to pretend that she wasn't disappointed. "Oh." She looked down into her tea, turning the mug around in her hands a few times when she felt the urge to fidget. "That's a shame. I like seeing you every day."
Gardner smiled softly, looking down at the ground again. She was so close, her side against his. Even through his two shirts, he could feel the warmth of her.
"What are you gonna do now?"
"What?"
Margaux cracked a smile but it didn't quite meet her eyes. "Now that you're not a postman carrier anymore."
Gardner's forehead creased as he frowned, his nose wrinkling. "I don't really know."
"Well, the world's your lobster, Gardner. You're smart and kind, you can do whatever you want to do." Margaux sipped her tea and leaned back against the steps. She gazed at him, her funny new friend, wondering what it was about him that made her feel completely and utterly at home for the first time in years.
"I want- If it's alright, I'd still like to see you," he said hurriedly, as if he wanted to get it out before he stopped himself.
Margaux's lips parted in surprise; Gardner tried not to stare.
"Me?"
Smiling, he nodded. "You."
Gardner wished he could understand why Margaux looked so astonished. He almost panicked, thinking he'd said something wrong.
How could he know? How could he know just how long it had been since anyone had told Margaux that they wanted to spend time with her? How long it had been since anyone had cared about her? Since she had a friend?
She looked away, pressing her lips together. Although her little street was alive with activity, people cycling by, birds singing in the trees, cars roaring in the distance, the silence that fell over them was all-enveloping.
When Margaux finally replied to him, there was no smirk on her face, no clever looks, for the first time since they met, there was just gentle honesty.
"Well, I'm still not entirely sure what Skee-ball is but I'd love to try it."
Gardner brightened considerably. He didn't think she'd agree in a million years. "You and me and Calvin?"
"Sounds fun. Thursday?" When Gardner nodded enthusiastically, Margaux laughed, looking much more like her usual self. She finished off her tea and rose to her feet. "I have to get going, I have to drop this toaster off for someone on Turner Way."
Gardner waited on the front step whilst she disappeared back inside to grab the toaster. When she reappeared, Margaux was shoving the last of her slice of cake into her mouth with so little decorum that he couldn't help laughing.
"That cake is gorgeous, Gard. Please thank your brother for me."
He stepped aside so that she could tumble down the steps in her usual rambunctious way. He followed Margaux to the front gate, holding it open for her, and she thanked him whilst grinning from ear to ear.
"Can I walk with you?" Gardner asked, feeling extraordinarily brave all of a sudden. He'd do anything to spend just that little bit more time with her. "We're going in the same direction but you can say no if you-"
"As if I could ever say no to you." Margaux gently cut him off before he got himself lost in an apologetic jumble of words. She readjusted her grip on the boxy old toaster, closing the gate behind her with the toe of her shoe. "Come on, I wanna hear about these stamps."
As they began walking, the warm sunshine on their backs, Gardner hesitated before finally starting to list the stamps they'd exchanged at last week's Pecan Lane Philatelic Society meeting. He spoke slowly at first, uncertainly, just waiting for Margaux to tell him that she was only kidding and she actually couldn't care less, but she didn't. In fact, she held his gaze as often as she could as they walked, listening intently and only interrupting to ask questions. Soon, he was almost breathless as he described his favourite stamps and the history behind them.
"Did you know the first adhesive postage stamp was made in England?" he said, thinking she'd be interested considering it was a part of her adopted country's history. "It was called the Penny Black and was first issued on May 1st 1840."
"It had Queen Victoria on it, right?" Margaux asked, remembering something she read in a book many, many years ago.
"So you do know," Gardner chuckled nervously, more than a little flustered by the thought.
"I prefer the way you tell it. What else you got?"
Gardner looked down at the sidewalk, hands in his pockets. "People usually ask me to stop."
Margaux came to a halt suddenly, frowning. "I'm not people." She nudged his arm with her elbow, almost dropping the toaster in the process. "Gardner, I could listen to you talk all day. Come on, tell me more about this stamp collection of yours."
"You could listen to me all day?"
Margaux rolled her eyes at him, feeling her own face starting to heat up. Of course he would focus on that. "Come on, mate, we both know I think you're God's gift."
She started walking again, leaving him stunned. Actually, he didn't know that but her sudden confession made his heartbeat pick up. Gardner watched Margaux walk away, entranced by the click of her shoes and the swing of her hips. He swallowed thickly and followed after her, the feeling of her lips on his cheek still as clear as if it had just happened.
