Two Love

Chapter 23

"Uh... you're welcome," Marty stuttered clumsily into the phone. The line went quiet for an uncomfortably long time. Just to break the silence, Marty said, "How did you know it was me?"

"It was so obvious - you put a crazy-looking smiley face on every card you sign."

"No I don't-" he started, but then he remembered drawing a smiley face on Parisa's Valentine's card, and then on her birthday card. And, in fact, on every card he'd signed since the beginning of the universe. "Yes, you're right; I do."

"Have you got my card yet?"

The potential in that statement made Marty's facial muscles smile of their own accord, but it seemed so improbable that he had to make sure. No point getting his hopes high like a rocket in the sky only to crash back down to Earth in flames.

"It's not my birthday until next January..."

"I mean my Valentine's card, you doofus!" He could hear the smile in her voice; the very thought made butterflies take flight in his tummy. 

"You - you made me a Valentine's card? Me, Marty Pocock, detention regular and kid from a broken home?"

"Yes, you! And is that really how you see yourself? I've always thought that you come from a full home. A home full of love can never be broken."

Marty's eyes widened. He'd never thought of it like that - he'd just been taught, at some point or another, that having a parent leaving meant a home was broken. "Yeah, I guess I'm lucky really, having a mum and a sister who love me. It's just having an absent father that makes things a bit broken."

"Well, I don't mind how broken your home is - it doesn't change the fact that I have an embarrassingly big crush on you."

Those words made Marty grin from ear to ear like the Cheshire cat. "An embarrassingly big crush, hey? In answer to your earlier question, though, I haven't got your card yet. Maybe the post office is taking a while to deliver cards?"

"It should definitely be there now. Go have a look!"

"What makes you so sure?" Surely Parisa couldn't have hand-delivered the card in the time between him leaving for her birthday party and the present moment (unless Parisa had an ability to be in two places at once). 

"Just go have a look. Trust me, you won't be disappointed!"

Perplexed at Parisa's persistence, Marty nevertheless trotted down the stairs with the phone still held to his ear. He didn't want to miss a word his crush might say to him. He made his way to the front door - and, sure enough, there was a card with a red envelope sitting on the welcome mat. Kneeling down, he twisted it round to find the fairy-like handwriting that was unmistakably Parisa's. And, curiously enough, there was no stamp. How on earth did she manage to deliver it so soon after the party?

Getting up from the floor, he soon had his answer. Through the foggy glass in the front door, he saw a small figure clothed in pink. His heart picked up its pace as he opened the door.

"I thought you were never going to notice me!" said Parisa, the phone still at her ear despite Marty's proximity.

"Well, come in then!" 

"Alright. Better hang up first -"

"Wait! We can do that thing where you put the phones together and it makes a sound loop! Put your phone here - that's it - and say something into one of the phones."

Parisa grinned. She spoke into her phone: "Hello," and it bounced back and forth between their phones. The pair of them laughed. Marty said, "What's up?" and the phones repeated this phrase like robotic parrots; Parisa said "Pancakes" and this word was repeated too. Finally, Marty took his phone and pressed the red button. Parisa did likewise.