Page 27 (2/2)

Holding our pizza, alk to a bench and take a seat I push several napkins into Katelyn’s hands while oil drips frorease on your clothes

She takes the napkins and arranges them around her slice “I’ll never eat all of this I’ry Remember?”

But I see the tell She closes her eyes and inhales The sweet zing of the toarlic, the cheese, the fresh bread

Yeah, she’s going to eat

I take a bite, and—

“Ach! Careful It’s hot” I chew quickly and s “I’d wait a minute”

“It doesn’t feel hot in my hand”

“It’s hot in ue”

She laughs

“Is that funny?”

“No Just the way you say it I like laughing with you Is that weird?”

“Not in the slightest I like to hear you laugh It’s an a, joyful sound”

“Is it? For a while, I didn’t laugh much”

I’m not surprised Katelyn has a backstory I’m convinced of it And not all of it is pretty Hell, my backstory sucks too Maybe we’re e and I can handle hers

Or maybe we can just enjoy a slice of New York’s finest and then entwine our pinkies again

Odd that I can get ot out of my last relationship

And ht she was the one

I rong

But it wasn’t her fault It was et it

I was fucked up

I can blame my parents, my childhood, my circumstances

But I don’t

Not anymore

I want to be better I want to be worthy

I want to deserve this wo next to me

Someday, perhaps, I will

I take another bite This one is hot but not scalding And delicious “Try it now,” I say after sing

Katelyn takes a tentative bite of her pizza that’s she’s folded over like an expert Her eyes widen

“Good?”

She nods enthusiastically as she chews and ss “Oh !”

“Told you”

I finish es to eat most of hers When she hands me what’s left—mostly crust—I polish that off too