Ugly Love (Hoover)/Chapter 15
from the Collection “Ugly Love”
Chapter Summary
After working a ten-hour night shift, Tate received a text from Miles asking for help. Surprised that he was home earlier than expected, she dressed and went across the hall to his apartment.
Miles needed help measuring his windows for curtains. Tate suggested measuring both the windows and their frames. He also considered buying a rug and quietly admitted that he no longer knew what he liked.
He invited Tate to shop with him. She thought choosing curtains together resembled something couples or friends did, rather than something suited to their restricted relationship. Nevertheless, she eagerly accepted while trying to appear casual.
They had neither spoken nor touched since first having sex. In the elevator, a discussion of colors gave way to mutual attraction. Miles asked about her evening shift and briefly touched her lower back as they left.
On their walk, Tate noticed an elderly homeless man shivering in inadequate clothing. She wanted to help but had left her purse behind. She recalled Corbin's objections to giving homeless people money and her own belief that addiction was an illness rather than a choice.
At a nearby store, Miles immediately selected slate-gray curtains and a patterned rug from the window display. A saleswoman helped him choose curtain rods and went to collect the items. Tate appreciated how quickly he had made his decisions.
While they waited, Miles took Tate behind a folding screen and kissed her. He said he had wanted to kiss her since she arrived that morning. When the saleswoman returned, he lingered, then admitted that he liked kissing Tate before abruptly stepping away.
Tate treasured his admission despite sensing his discomfort. Miles arranged delivery and carried one shopping bag outside. On their return walk, he removed a new blanket from it and silently handed it to the elderly man. Tate believed he had acted for the man's sake, not to impress her.
Back home, Miles asked Tate to wait until he had finished decorating before returning. She caught up on homework. Several hours later, he asked whether she had eaten; she offered to bring him leftover meat loaf that Corbin had prepared.
Miles welcomed her back and showed her the curtains, which transformed the apartment after four years without them. The rug lay in an unusual place because he hoped they could christen it. Tate agreed, and he postponed eating as they undressed beside it before her work shift.
Characters
Quotes
Picking out curtains is something couples do. Picking out curtains is something friends do. Picking out curtains is not something Miles and Tate should do if they want to stick to their rules
Maybe it’s because I’m a nurse, but I don’t believe addiction is a choice. Addiction is an illness, and it pains me to see people forced to live this way because they’re unable to help themselves.
As soon as the sentence leaves his mouth, he releases me and quickly steps around the partition as if he’s trying to escape from his own confession.