“I have a cardboard box next to the bed.”
“Okay. Well, we came here for a dresser.”
She crosses her arms. “I have a stack of clean clothes and a pile of dirty laundry. It works fine.”
“Okay. Get up.” Josh is standing over her with his hands on his hips like an annoyed-but-hot poli sci professor. “You can’t treat your apartment like a campsite. Why did you let her take everything from you?” His voice has a trace of the self-righteous teen he must have been—a kid who grew up knowing he could claim everything he wanted.
She hauls herself to her feet. “It’s not technically ‘my’ apartment. And what was I supposed to do? Throw my body across an eight-year-old West Elm side table?” There’s a twitchy edge to Ari’s voice that somehow makes her feel more defensive. “Do you know how pathetic I felt, watching the movers struggle to maneuver the bed through the front door? I hid in the bathroom, okay?”
She braces herself for the look of pity that people offer her when she brings up these embarrassing details about that day and loses control of her emotions.
Josh moves his jaw like he can’t quite decide on the right response. They’re stopped in front of a $329 six-door dresser. “Red, Red Wine” plays over the sound system.
“Did you ask me to help you shop because you wanted someone to smile and nod and keep their mouth shut while you refuse to help yourself?” he asks. “Because I’m not going to do that.”
“No, obviously I wanted you to experience the meatballs.” They stare at each other for a few beats while a couple holds upthe paper measuring tape across the width of the dresser. Josh raises an eyebrow, expecting something more. Ari swallows. “You go to the gym a lot, so I know you can carry heavy boxes. And you’re tall so you can reach things on high-up shelves in the warehouse area.”
His expression remains stern. Concerned. Unwilling to accept her one-liners as actual answers. “Ari.”
“What?”
He folds his arms across his chest. “Why did you ask me to come here with you?”
Grimacing at his persistence, she walks over to an untreated pine dresser and pretends to examine it. “I thought you could help me pick out some pans?”
“You’re absolutelynotusing cookware from Ikea. You’d get the same result with a folded-up piece of aluminum foil. We’ll go to Sur La Table. Try again.”
She opens the top compartment and looks down. Inside the drawer is a crude drawing of a penis. It’s a fun surprise. Like finding a quarter on the ground. “I guess…I like being with you more than I like being by myself.” She takes a deep breath and glances up. Josh has this way of focusing on her face. There’s a potency to it. “Why did you come?”
“The meatballs.” A stranger would say his face appears blank, but Ari can tell he’s pleased. “Obviously.”
Fri, Oct 28, 5:27p.m.
Briar:Have you looked at any of the proposals from developers?
Josh:Mom sent you after me now?
I don’t care about the proposals. It’s prime real estate on Avenue A.
Sell it to the highest bidder.
Sell it for parts.
Briar:You need to come to my deep stretch yoga class.
There’s a new instructor that’s VERY pretty
Josh:I already have a gym routine.
Briar:She has NYE date potential!
You can’t show up at a gala by yourself when your family is being honored!
That’s just sad.
Josh:Mom said you aren’t even coming.
Briar:Excuse me, I’ve had a luxury yurt booked for over a year! I will be glamping under the stars at Joshua Tree.
