Alicekai'd 1.29: Night at the Park

 

     It gets darker, and we decide it would be better if we all went inside, so we go to the nearby community center. Bruno gets a plate of hamburgers that some random person made (and here, that's not considered weird) while Geoff and I check out the new little tykes play area. Bruno tells us that when he's done eating, he's going to go practice burping into the microphone upstairs. Boys.

 

     It being night, the building is practically deserted, but all of us have a sudden wellspring of energy.

     "They really did a good job with this place," I tell Geoffrey. Today has been wonderful, even with the sometimes-awkward conversation earlier. I feel like we're a family of sorts, and I really start to want that.

     Gone is the happy-go-lucky, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants, anything-goes Alice that had thus far inhabited this world. I'm going back to being myself again. This is the real me... only... happier. This is what I've been looking for. Sure, I've always had the wild streak, but it's back where it belongs: behind closed doors.

     "They did," he agrees with me. "They've really geared it towards families." I get a sudden wave of hopeful anticipation. Maybe I imagined it. Maybe I wished for it.

     "It's wonderful." That does it. I know what I want, and it's all around me.

     "YOU'RE wonderful," he tells me with a goofy grin on his face.

     "Don't you start." He claims he can't read my mind, but sometimes I wonder how good he is at reading my face.

     "Start what? I'm just speaking the truth." If I don't change the subject, this will turn into a game that'll have me either blushing like mad or jumping him.

     "Can you really tell if someone's lying? How do you do it?" There.

     He gives me a look over the rim of his glasses like he suspects (correctly) why I did that. "There are lots of factors to consider: eyes, tone of voice, intonation, head movement, and so on."

     "Is it true that if someone looks one way, it means they're definitely lying? I can't remember if it's left or right."

     "We used to think that, but it really depends on the person."

     "Well, what about me?"

     He smiles.

     "With you, it's all about your beautiful eyes. The difficulty, however, is often you let yourself believe your own lies, making them appear as truth. Often, you'll look away, which, by the way, drives me crazy because I'll do anything to get and keep your attention. Sometimes, you scrunch up your adorable eyebrows like you're fighting with yourself to keep up the lie. But mostly, you rarely lie on purpose."

     Yeah, I caught all those stealthily thrown-in compliments. "When have I lied?"

     "Hm..." He ponders. "I guess the first I noticed is when you'd talk about Don. You never really believed you'd have anything remotely serious with him, did you?"

     I grin sheepishly. "No. I liked playing with him when I'd play the game, so it was kind of a 'well, I'm here, may as well' thing."

     "I wondered if you'd lied about the 'real world' thing, but I kept thinking if it were a lie, you firmly believed it."

     "Do you still think I'm lying?"

     "I meant what I said then. I believe you. I saw no lie in your eyes, and well, if you were insane, I was determined to go down with the ship because I knew even then I was in love with you." He watches me for my reaction. I honestly have no idea what to say to something like that. I still need to tell him how I feel, and I wonder if he's fishing for it. He continues, "And I'm praying that you've lost the desire to find a way to go back. I don't want to live without you, Alice."

     "Well, it truly wasn't a lie, isn't a lie, but let me tell you I firmly see this as home. I never want to leave." I watch as his eyes soften, and the corners of his mouth lift. I'm almost forming the words, but just then, Carlie starts fussing. I move to get her before Geoff can.

 

     I feed her a bottle, and then she gets sleepy. The entire time, Geoffrey and I don't speak. I can tell he's happy, though, so I don't push it.

     He looks over and sees Carlie start to drift off. "She's making ME sleepy, so I'm going to go get a cup of coffee. Want some?"

     "No, I'm good. Thanks."

     He nods and gets a mug then returns, sitting in his goofy pink chair again.

     Once more, we sit in silence, and I watch him smile into his mug. This moment is perfect. "I love you. That's not a lie." I smirk as he almost chokes on another sip of coffee.

     He looks over at me and beams. "That's not fair, Alice. How in plum's name am I supposed to pounce on you when you have a sleeping baby in your arms?"

     I shrug in false nonchalance. "Sounds like a 'you' problem." I kiss my sleeping baby's head.

     Still, he gets up and deeply kisses me, being sure not to wake Carlie. He takes his coffee black.

     Next, he goes upstairs to find Bruno and make sure he does his homework. Then we both go back to my place where he and Bruno crash on my sofa, and Carlie and I nap in our beds. When we wake up, I make a quick dinner/lunch, and Geoffrey hires a babysitter.

     He takes me back to the park...

     "I wanted us to have a little alone time together," he explains. "I have a confession, Alice. I was seriously getting worried since you hadn't uttered those three magical words." He strokes my face.

     "Geez, Geoff. Have a little faith. I was waiting for the right moment. I didn't want it to be a result of anything else. Besides, didn't you say that you knew?"

     "I said that, yeah, but a man needs a little confidence boost now and again."

     "Well, I love you. There." I giggle. I expect him to kiss me, but he doesn't, instead standing stiffly like he's freaking out about something.

     I watch him take deep breaths, and I worry he's about to be sick in the bushes, which will, honestly, really piss me off. "Are you okay?"

     "I'm fine," he says entirely too quickly.

     "Are you sure?"

     Another deep breath. "Like I said: confidence boost."

     "Um... okay?"

     Oh my god.