Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Heart to heart. I get that now.
“I’ll be fine,” I assure her.
“Are you going to drop me off and come home immediately and rub one out? If that’s the case, then I’m more than happy to—”
“I think it might be more meaningful if we wait until we have a first date. I loved watching you come, Evilla. I absolutely love that I made you come. I really enjoyed sharing that with you. If you’re okay with waiting a few more days, then I’d like to take you out on a date that isn’t engineered by one of our parents. A date with the real you being you. No doubles, no goodbyes. I hope no hornets or murderous sheep’s butts or scary bears. Just me and you being me and you, having a good time. Something simple and no pressure as to when we get back to…this.”
Evilla knows when to use sass, and she knows when to be kind. She doesn’t even hesitate to grace me with a soft, genuine smile of understanding as she adjusts the straps of her dress properly and zips it up.
“How about some popcorn and a show to end the night? Or music? I love just sitting and doing nothing while listening to music.”
“What kind?” I ask.
“Here’s something you don’t know about me yet. All our pudding flavors at work? I’ve tried every flavor. Every single one. All the ones that were before my time and obviously all the ones during. I like all of them. I’m not fussy when it comes to pudding. I’m kind of like that with music, too.”
“Popcorn and music it is.”
Her eyes linger over the sheep before they return to me. “Are you going to fix that?”
“Not now. When I put it back up, I’m going to make sure it never ever comes back down.”
“That sounds rather ominous.”
“Not when I sleep under it every night and don’t want my head sheered off.”
“That’s a good point. I like your head attached to your body.” She grins.
“I’m not sure you would have said that after our first date.”
Her eyes get super smoky on top of the existing smoke that hasn’t left. Evilla looks twice as lovely after a climax, and it makes me want to give another one and another, but I also want the timing to be right. “We haven’t had our first date yet.”
“That’s right.”
She gets up off the bed and nudges me gently on the shoulder, letting her hand linger for a few seconds too long. “I’m really looking forward to whatever you come up with. Also, can we raid the fridge for the crab snacks? I’m starving.”
“Crab and popcorn. Sounds like a great combo.”
“We should make it into our next pudding.”
That gets me going. The more I laugh, the better I feel. Everyone would say that when you’re single, this is what you’re missing in your life—the connection with another person. When I thought about that, I thought about the inevitable path of babies and marriage. I didn’t ever stop to think it might be special moments like this where it’s just silliness and laughter.
Those memories also last a lifetime.
“No. No, we shouldn’t.”
A special look passes between us. I have no part in the giving. I’m just the observer. I don’t know what it is, but I want to see it on Evilla’s face again. “Right.” Her voice is barely more than a whisper. “Crab and popcorn are just for us.”
Chapter fourteen
Evilla
Gen did the hi, I’m alive, I just got home, and everything went so well, but I’m super tired, so text me first thing tomorrow for all the deets routine when I was still at Mont’s. It was late, and I shouldn’t have been there at that hour, so I texted her back a goodnight moon and told her I would absolutely text her first thing when I got up.
I didn’t get home until past midnight since we watched a double feature. We made popcorn and got into the crab leftovers. I also found out that Mont loves black-and-white horror movies. I’ve never met anyone who likes black-and-white film anything, let alone old horror. I know those people are out there, and they probably exist in the millions, but I’ve truly never met anyone in person who shares that passion. My parents don’t get it, my sister gets visibly annoyed with me whenever I try to put one on, Gen can’t stand horror movies of any kind, and my other friends are pretty much the same. Gen’s fear is legit, and I can’t do any modern horror without losing my mind a little.
I set my alarm for eight this morning and hauled myself out of bed. I’m normally an early riser, and Gen will be wondering why the heck I’m not texting her at the butt crack of dawn. She doesn’t work weekends either, but her inner alarm gets her up early all the same.