I untie the ribbon and open the box and see a piece of paper and a pen inside. I read the note and look up to see the deliveryman still there. And then I laugh. It’s the first time I’ve laughed in days, and it feels foreign but so nice.
I read the note again, debating if I should play with him but I can’t deny the smile and flutter that strikes me. It’s nice to not be so sad and I want to soak this moment up even if I’m still mad at him. I tell myself this is for me and not for him. I pull out the pen, doing as the note instructs, and put the paper back inside the box, tie the ribbon and hand it back to the delivery guy. He takes it and turns on his heels.
On the note was a hangman’s pole and blank spaces at the bottom. Oz said he wanted to play a game with me, and though it sounds ridiculous, it was so adorable I couldn’t help but melt a little more. He’s slowly chipping away at the anger I’m trying to hold on to.
I go back to work, pushing Oz out of my mind, keeping busy. About an hour later the delivery guy is back with the same little box. I sign again and he waits while I unwrap the ribbon and read the note.
I’d guessed the letter L and it was no good. So I try the letter S this time and send it back with the delivery guy.
All day Oz and I play back and forth. Each time I got one wrong, he drew a piece of the man on the hangman’s pole. When I got one right, he would fill in the places where the letters went.
Right before five o’clock, I get the last delivery of the box and solve the puzzle.
A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES
I’d solved it long before lunch, but who would stop a game like this? I’d smiled all day, feeling lighter than I have in ages.
When I get home, there’s been a delivery of dinner from this amazing Italian place, and Paige and I eat until we can hardly walk. She doesn’t ask who it was from. We both know.
Thursday
I’m starting to crack. But I’ve made it this long. I didn’t text or email him all day yesterday even though I’d wanted to. I would start to, then stop each time. I feel like I’m fighting more with myself at this point than Oz. I can wait a little longer. Every time I try and remember why I’m mad at him, I end up defending him. Maybe because of what Paige had told me. All Oz wanted to do was protect me. Something no one has ever cared to do for me in my life. I’m excited to see what he has in store for today.
I’m at my desk sipping my coffee when a woman dressed in a black suit comes over to me.
“Ms. Sullivan?”
I nod a little nervously. I wonder if I’m in trouble. She pulls out an envelope and hands it to me, walking away right after.
“Another game?” Skyler asks as she walks by my desk.
I smile and turn away from her, opening the envelope. Inside I find two pieces of parchment paper and a pressed four-leaf clover in between them.
The clover looks old but perfectly preserved between the pieces of parchment. I look back down inside the envelope and see a note I’d missed the first time.
Pulling it out, I see Oz’s beautiful script and begin to read.
My Mallory,
The first time I saw you was a long time ago. I’d love to tell you about that day and every day until the moment we met. When you’re ready, I will, but until then I want you to have this.
I found this clover the day I saw you, and I kept it in my wallet ever since. I felt like it was a sign of things to come. That if I did everything right, maybe one day I could have you.
If you exit out of the south side of the building, there’s a small garden nearby. Go there when you get a moment today. I’ve got something for you.
Love, Oz
I place the clover carefully inside the papers and take out my wallet. I have an empty pocket behind my driver’s license and I slip it inside. It’s as if the space was waiting for the clover, and something about it makes me ridiculously happy to have it.
I can’t stop smiling but there’s also a lump in my throat. This man means so much to me and it’s eating at me that I’m mad at him. Worse, I’m now worrying about how it’s eating at him, too. I’m making us both miserable.
A few hours later, Skyler asks me to lunch, but I’ve got plans. I need to find this garden and see what’s there.
Making my way past the security desk and to the back of the building, I look around for an exit. There’s a guard by the door with an earpiece in his ear, and when he sees me, he opens a hidden door I never knew was there. Has he been waiting on me all day? I idly wonder if he would have stood here waiting on me until nightfall.
When I walk through the door, there’s a winding stone path that’s covered by a wooden pergola. A lush wisteria vine weaves through the wood, creating shade and pops of lavender. The garden is cool, despite the New York heat, and there’s even a slight breeze.