His gaze settles on one frame. It’s one of my favorites: a candid photo of us asleep in his bed on Christmas night years ago.
That year, I’d gotten my first camera and couldn’t wait to use it. At midnight, after my family finished unwrapping gifts, I snuck to his house using the spare key hidden by the back door. He woke as I crept into his room, but didn’t ask why I was there. He just made space for me on the bed while I played with the camera, the phone flashlight dim between us. We fell asleep together, and in the morning, I slipped out before anyone noticed.
Weeks later, when I developed the photos, I found that mysterious shot of us cuddled asleep. Neither of us could have taken it.
The next year I bought a custom frame in red and blue — Lightning McQueen and Sally’s colors.
The colors of the cars from his favorite cartoon, red and blue, used to say it all. If we mixed their colors, we could’ve made purple. We could’ve created a color that belonged to us—a colorthat would tie us together. Our color. I always thought we were like that — two pieces meant to mix, to make something new.
He nudges my shoulder, breaking the silence. "Still sleeping with Mr. Twinkle Mao?"
I giggle, nudging him back. His freckles catch the light, familiar as ever. "You still drooling on pillows?"
He laughs. "Always." Then, more softly: "Ready?" He nods toward Steven, who’s returned with the game.
I fold my arms across my chest, smiling. "Depends. Will you stop teasing Mr. Twinkle Mao?"
Of course, Vincent Cooper will never stop teasing the alien-cat plushie he bought me at a flea market when I was twelve.
He shakes his head, grinning and I grin back. "Okay. I’m ready."
-*?? . ??? ? ?.-*??
“Won’t the lady downstairs complain if we make too much noise?” Will asks.
“She’s gone to her granddaughter’s in Louisiana for the whole summer, and the neighbors are at a party,” I reply.
Will smiles enthusiastically as he helps me connect the Xbox to the television.
Steven and Vincent are talking to each other. Whatever the topic is, I can tell it’s uncomfortable because my boyfriend already looks tired of it. Vincent, on the other hand, doesn’t let a single emotion slip past his neutral expression. I’m sure I know what they’re talking about, and I just wish Steven would confide in me too. Sometimes I feel like he doesn’t trust me enough.
Sam slides into the small space on the sofa that Maggie left empty when she stretched out. “So... what’s the plan for tonight?” he asks, running a hand through his light brown hair.
Maggie gives him a sidelong glance.
I smile. “We’re having a tournament.”
I hold up the Just Dance 2014 disc, pointing to the choreography I want us to start with. “And I’ve prepared a set of rules.”
Maggie snorts, getting up from the couch and walking toward me. “For Just Dance?”
I nod and pull my phone from the pocket of my denim shorts. “Yup. I wrote them down earlier.”
Leaning against my roommate, I start reading aloud the list I typed while Steven was baking a cake for a little girl’s birthday. “So... there are five rounds.”
“Five?” Steven groans, dropping into the spot Maggie just vacated.
I grin and nod. “Yup. Five. So, the first round—everyone dances together. Then—”
Will interrupts me. “How can all six of us dance at once?”
“She probably bought six remotes years ago, hoping to recruit five other people so she could finally live out her dream of a six-person choreography,” Sam jokes, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth.
I chuckle, and Vincent, Steven, and Maggie join in, mimicking me. Vincent also settles on the couch between Steven and Sam, with Fleur perched on his lap. He scratches behind her ears while watching me with a faintly amused smile.
Will laughs along too—then suddenly stops and frowns. “Wait. Why are we laughing?”
Sam gets up, crosses the room, and claps him on the back before leaning casually against the wall, surveying everyone with a full 360-degree view. “I don’t wanna sound too perceptive, man, but I’m ninety-nine percent sure Nova really does own six remotes and has been waiting for this exact moment her whole life.”
