a market where you sell only foods that have no skin or pits. You could call it Pitskinno’s.”
She laughs. “Now you’re really thinking out of the box.”
“So does this mean you’ll go?”
She repositions herself, and then she leans down and kisses me. Her mouth is warm and soft against my cracked, dry lips, and I imagine she must feel as if she’s kissing a piece of sandpaper. If she minds, she doesn’t show it.
It would be incredibly romantic, us lying in a hospital bed making out, except for the fact that I have tubes sticking out of my nose and an IV in my arm, and they are completely getting in the way. If only we could get away with hospital sex. That would be totally frickin’ hot.
25
Ironically, I miss prom because I'm in the hospital, having nearly bit the dust in a totally different fire. What are the odds?
Nearly dying makes you realize who and what really matters. By the end of the following week when I finally get to go home, I know there’s something I need to do.
I show up at Nick’s house unannounced, and lucky for me the gate is open. There are a bunch of cars in the driveway. I’m hesitating, thinking I’ve probably come at a bad time if the Giulianis have company, when Nick drives up behind me in his dad’s black Mercedes, music blaring. To say he’s surprised to see me is an understatement.
He climbs out and heads toward me. “Hey. What are you doing here?” he asks.
“I wanted to talk to you,” I say. “Actually, I’ve wanted to for a while, but I was kind of in the hospital.”
“I heard about that. Jesus, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I say. “Worked out in my favor, really, because I didn’t get stuck going to prom.”
“Lucky you.” Nick pops the trunk. It’s filled with ice.
“You need a hand with that?”
“Sure. Good timing. You saved me from frostbite carrying these things,” he says and hands me a bag of ice to carry and grabs the other bag for himself. “I would’ve stopped by, but I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see me.”
“I know things have been weird lately. But that’s why I’m here. I’m hoping we can put all this crazy shit behind us, you know? Keep moving forward.”
“Forward is good. Listen, I’m sorry, man.”
“I’m sorry too. Things got a little out of hand.”
“So we’re good?”
“Definitely.” I follow him into the house. “So what’s all this ice for?”
“Giovanna’s engagement is back on so my parents are throwing a party. And false alarm on the pregnancy thing. Turns out the wedding jitters made her late for her monthly bill, so at least we won’t have to be looking for a place to hide her fiancé’s body anytime soon.”
We bring the ice into the kitchen, and as soon as Mrs. Giuliani catches sight of me, her face lights up like she’s won the Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes. “Hank! Oh my God!” She rushes over to give me a hug. Same as the first time we met, she enfolds me into her ample bosom, but it’s extra awkward because I’m still holding the bags of ice. Nick pulls me to safety.
“Ma! Seriously, give the guy some air.”
The next thing I know, Mr. Giuliani is shaking my hand and pulling me into the living room, telling everyone about the fire and how I was in the hospital. Suddenly, the party guests are fanning out in a circle around us, wanting to hear all the details. Unfortunately, I don’t really remember most of them. But I’m overwhelmed by how genuinely glad Nick’s family is to see me and their concern.
They offer me a drink and plates of food, and I glance at Giovanna because I’m sure she’s pissed that I’ve diverted all the attention from her special occasion, but she’s sitting there as rapt as the rest of them. I’m not used to being the center of attention in a good way, and it feels pretty amazing. Then Nick’s mom says the capper.
“It’s so wonderful to see you, Hank. Nicky would give us updates, of course, but we were all so worried. You just take things slow, and if there’s ever anything we can do, you don’t hesitate to ask, you hear me?”
I turn to look at Nick, but he’s busy stacking a cracker with salami and cheese, completely avoiding eye contact. “Thank you, I will.”
Nick tells his parents we’re going to go hang out in his room,