175 Years

Saint Paul

Macy's confidence faded with every step she took towards the church.

And she was 90% sure she had multiple hairs out of place, as the wind was extraordinarily bad tonight.

Why had she let Sophia talk her into this? This was so not her. She didn't douse her face in makeup and show up at a boy's house, practically begging for him to go out with her.

As Macy decided this was definitely too out of character for her, a sweet voice broke through the whistling wind.

"Macy, honey?"

The black robe no longer scared her. Instead, her heart jumped with elation. Or maybe that was her hungry stomach.

"Hi, Martha." Macy said, stepping up to the cathedral doors.

"Are you looking for Leo?"

"Not necessarily." That was definitely a lie in church. "I was just admiring the architecture."

"It is a pretty place, isn't it? You aren't religious, are you? Let me show you some things I find fascinating. If you're interested that is?"

Well, I certainly didn't get all dolled up to go right back home. "Sure."

Martha led Macy around the perimeter of the sanctuary, showing her what each stained glass window was a representation of. Martha explained how the candles were prayers being lifted to God.

Although Macy was a little put off by having to pay for a special candle to answer her prayers, all the other stuff was rather fascinating.

Martha walked Macy around the sanctuary, explaining the Stations of the Cross to me. It made the stained glass windows even more beautiful.

"Macy?" A deep voice echoed through the sanctuary.

There's what Macy came for. The ocean eyes. The sweatpants. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her impulses.

"Martha was just showing me the Stations of the Cross." Macy said as Leo walked over to the station they were currently under.

While Martha had her back turned to us, Leo leaned dangerously close to Macy's hair, setting all her nerves on fire again. "I thought you were joking about becoming a nun." He whispered.

She turned to make sure the gleam of humor was still in his eye. Not having pulled away, Leo was close enough to accidentally bump noses as she spun to see him.

The duplicated smile he wore spread across Macy's face as well, although she wasn't sure her brown eyes were twinkling as much as his blue ones were.

"Leo, why don't you take Macy out back and show her that path?"

"Good idea." His smile dropped to concern, and Macy wasn't sure why.

He looked as if he were judging her, as if a light bulb flicked on and his train of thought took a different course.

"We'll be back." Leo called to Martha as he led the way to the church parsonage to grab a coat.

Once we were both all bundled up— he had offered Macy a scarf— he took her hand and led the way to the outdoor Stations of the Cross, as Martha had called them.

Two things made Macy happy in this moment. First, Leo was holding her hand. Not that it counted for anything. Their fingers had to be interlaced for it to count, according to Sophia.

Second, the scarf that covered her face smelled excruciatingly like Leo. She melted in the warmth and the scent.

"Do you really care about the Stations of the Cross that much?" Leo asked, letting go of Macy's hand and lighting up a cigarette.