After His Banana

by Penelope Bloom

I think we all have broken hearts from the get-go. That’s what growing up is. You realize your heart is all screwed up and imperfect. The only way to fix it is finding that person who can make it whole. And I think sometimes people settle for ‘whole enough,’ or one person might feel more whole than the other. But everybody deserves to be whole, and you won’t know if somebody is the right fit for you unless you take a few risks and put your heart out there.” I looked at her like I was seeing another side of her for the first time. “No offense, but I really didn’t expect you to think that deeply about love.”

“Tell me something—and be honest. Why haven’t you ever offered me a job at Galleon?” “Because I don’t think you actually want to follow in my footsteps. There’s this famous quote. Basically, it says most people don’t fail because they aimed too high and didn’t make it. They fail because they aim too low and they succeed.” I frowned while that sank in. After a little, I smiled and punched him in the chest softly. “Thanks, dad.”

But what finally dawned on me was that the right girl wasn’t like a recipe. At least, not in the way I’d been thinking. I’d been looking at love like I was the chef. Like it was a recipe I had to figure out and one that I had to cook. That wasn’t it at all. Learning to love someone was being part of the recipe. It was bringing two things together that were less when they were apart. And unlike the culinary world, the recipe only worked if you literally put yourself into it. Last time I checked, that was frowned upon in real life. Love was creating something entirely new. Realizing that was what led me to Rey’s work the other night. And I didn’t give a shit how long it had been since I met her or how much I still didn’t know about her. I loved Rey. The thought made me grin.

She hadn’t just busted her ass to make this happen—Rey had shown how much she got me.

“A puddle of ashes, then.”

Luna chuckled. “Sounds like some kind of emo band name.” Penny nodded. “If any of us had any musical talent, we could totally start a band.”

Every single time we kissed, I felt the same spark. I wouldn’t have believed it if someone else told me there’d be a guy out there for me where every kiss was almost as good as the first, but I’d found him. All I could ever think was how lucky I was. How he’d been the magic pill to turn my life from a boring, hopeless nightmare to a dream. That was Miles. My little dream. Rey Motto #2: When you find yourself in a dream, absolutely do not pinch yourself. Don’t question it. Don’t try to wake up, and maybe, if you’re lucky, it’ll last forever.