The Angel assigned to them requested a transfer twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first time was after sixth grade, when he had stood beside her for an entire fire drill and said nothing except, \u201cYour shoe\u2019s untied.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a failure. An utter failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The second time was after prom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou put them in the same room,\u201d the Angel told the others. \u201cYou give them music. You give them a slow song. You give them mood lighting. What the fuck is wrong with these two?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God continued watering a small, improbable garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re not ready yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Years passed. There were marriages, departures, houses emptied into cardboard boxes, into moving vans. There were good things mishandled by good people who thought good things would wait forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He likes tattoos. He loves the pain. Eventually, he stopped noticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Love could become like that, you know,” the Angel worried. “Something extraordinary carried for so long that you forget to look, to care.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By the time they found each other again, both had learned to hear trouble coming from everywhere, sometimes when it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One evening, he went quiet. Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was tired. That was all. But she watched him, studying his hands, she felt an old door closing again. It wasn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDon\u2019t do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Koko rose from the desert. The other dogs followed. Soon they were all barking at something beyond the window, although nothing moved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said she reminded him of Koko: fierce at first, frightened at second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then she looked at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His arms were folded so tight his fingers disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not leaving,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t say you were.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upstairs, the Angel stopped filling out another transfer request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He reached for the battered dictionary on the side table. She asked him why, when he has a phone that can find and define any word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSometimes I need to turn pages,\u201d he told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He opened it, then shut it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI had something I wanted to say,\u201d he admitted. \u201cA whole dream about us. Now, I can\u2019t find the fucking words.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTry to find the good ones then,\u201d she antagonized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOkay. I\u2019ve seen people blow-up a good thing. I\u2019ve been those people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She unfolded her arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want us to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNeither do I.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He moved closer, leaving room for her to choose the remaining distance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can live without you,\u201d he said. \u201cI know that sounds terrible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not your strongest opening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know, but I wanna live with you. I wanna tell you when something\u2019s wrong. I want you to tell me when you’re hurt. I wanna love you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She took his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want that too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a part of the evening when the windows became mirrors. Outside disappeared; inside, they could see themselves together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dogs circled the bed until they lied down, then pressed up against them with great stretch and enormous sighs. A dog pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Girl settles beside boy. Boy settles beside girl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Above them, the Angel put away the form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFinally?\u201d someone asked the Angel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAsk me tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n