Catching Up

Johnny smiled and said nothing, just listened to June tell him about her day.

“Are you going to sit here and stare at me all night…again.”

A chuckle rumbled from within his chest and he winked at her.

“Maybe. Sounds to me like you can talk for both of us.”

She made a face and gave him a playful slap.

“You talk more than both of us.”

‘Only when I am talking and I am not.”

“You know I hate when you do that and you are doing it now to aggravate me.”

“No baby, I am not. Not now. Sometimes I do, but not now. Now I am just enjoying the moment. Got a lot to catch up on, keep talking.”

He smiled at her and she smiled back.  For a moment she looked at him and he knew her brain was moving a mile a minute, analyzing, questioning, thinking and wondering.

*****

“That is an appropriate song.”

“What is?”

He laughed again, “It is Crazy On You”  by Heart.”

“I know who sings it.”

“Woman, I know you know but you are crazy and so it just makes sense to hear it now.

“I am not crazy and why must you press my buttons.”

Another chuckle rumbled from between his lips.

“Don’t say it. I know what you are you going to say, don’t say a word.”

He smiled again.

Outsiders might have thought the stern look on her face meant she was angry, but he knew better.

She was happier than she had been in a long time and so was he.

*****

“June, I see the wheels turning inside. Try to stop and enjoy things for a moment. You are too busy wondering and worrying about what could or might happen. Maybe you’ll kiss me, maybe you’ll sleep with me, maybe you’ll marry me. Maybe all of those things and maybe none of those things.

Maybe shit will happen and we will fall back into a hole and despise each other. Maybe we’ll decide we should be friends and nothing more. Maybe an asteroid will hit the Earth, the sun will stop shining and dinosaurs will roam the earth again.”

He paused and when she didn’t respond he started talking again.

“I don’t know what will happen and I am just not going to worry about it. Sometimes the joy of life is in the journey and the best thing you can do is just enjoy it. Hell, I don’t know if this is just the difference between how men and women think or something else, but I can’t worry about some of this. Got too many other important things.”

Her eyes narrowed just a little and he could see her trying to decide if the last few words were designed to get a response or not.

“I like planning. I like knowing what I need to do. I like being organized. It makes me happy.”

“Baby, you like being in control and you can’t control this. I can’t control it either. The best we can do is manage it together. I don’t know that we ever stopped loving each other but I think this is  what you call falling in love again. Don’t tell the guys I said that or I’ll never hear the end of it.

Anyway, I think that is what is happening and I think that is part of why we are feeling like teenagers again. Except back then we didn’t worry about all of the other stuff like now. Sure, it felt like the world might end if things didn’t work, but we still didn’t have all of the life experience and baggage. Didn’t feel worn out, or worry about could or should happen.

I just want to enjoy this moment and the next one. It is kind of fun not planning every little detail.”

She smiled at him again.

“It was easier when we weren’t talking.”

He laughed, “no it wasn’t. We were both miserable, you especially. You just didn’t know it.”

“That cocky attitude of yours is going to get you into trouble. You shouldn’t be so confident.”\

“June, that cocky attitude is why you fell in love with me the first time. Without it I never would have had the nerve to go after you. It has gotten me into trouble from time to time, but right now I feel pretty good because something tells me things are going to work out just fine.”

“Let me guess, ‘you know things,’ right Johnny.”

The smirk on her face made it clear she was teasing him but there was a little edge in her voice that said she wasn’t completely sold.

“June, you are still thinking. Stop it. I know, I am being a man and trying to provide a solution now but please trust me here and just try to let go. We really can’t control this, but we can manage it and if you’ll hold my hand and walk with me I think it will be worth your time.”

“Ok Johnny, I can do that.”