CAUTION: SPOILERS
So Megan is in love. And what of Nathan?
Nathan joins a pick-up game of basketball, a game he hasn’t played since he was in Texas. The day is humid and hot, and we have already seen that he has some difficulty with fast-paced, sharp moves. And just as he is trying to impress the girl he’s crushing on, he falls.
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‘Nathan dodged around him and collided with Robert, staggering back, his arms wheeling. And fell. His heart crashed as he hit the concrete. Megan would have The Look.’
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This is it. The moment of truth. Megan’s final test of what she had learned.
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‘Her conversation with Carrie stopped abruptly, and she met his eyes. There was no Look of pity. Rather, one brow lifted slightly in simple anticipation. She expected him to get moving.’
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This is the culmination of Megan’s growth to assume Nathan’s ability, and it could not have come at a better moment. Without this growth, without this moment, their relationship could never have proceeded. He had to know she saw him as he truly was, that she saw his struggles without judgment or pity. That was the gateway to love.
And now to celebrate. He finds her in the supply room, jamming to her tunes, and they dance–this dance reflective, and yet so very different, from the catastrophic one in the pub. We have come full circle.
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‘As the music faded, he ran his thumb across her cheek. He loved her.’
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But we still have ⅓ of the book to go, so you know that “happily ever after” isn’t secure yet…