Relief relaxes his eyebrows and brings his eyes back to normal size. “Good. Can’t have you getting a crush. Opposite sex friendships are like a delicate ecosystem. One wrong move somewhere in the food chain and the whole thing implodes.”
Jasper rolls his eyes and shakes his head. He’s a quiet guy, which is a godsend in a small apartment where one of the inhabitants is a guy like Rob. Physically, Rob does not take up a lot of space. But his energy, his presence, his personality, sometimes fill the space like an infinitely expandable balloon.
I grab my glass of water and laptop off the table. “Next time I want your two cents, I’ll hand you two pennies.”
Rob laughs and opens a bag of chips. “I’m just making sure you know the rules, Aidan.” He walks the few feet from the kitchen to the table and tosses down the bag.
Tucking the computer between my arm and my chest, I reach in and take a handful. “I didn’t know there were rules.”
Rob crunches a chip and gives me a derisive look. “Of course there are rules. Don’t you think one of us” —he gestures between himself and Jasper— “would’ve asked Natalie out by now if there weren’t rules?”
I get what he’s saying, but just to fuck with him, I act like I don’t. “Ask her out. I don’t care.” False. I do care. Natalie wants the world, and neither of these guys are equipped to give it to her. It would end with one-sided heartbreak and a best friend who wouldn’t come to my door ever again.
Rob and Jasper both shake their heads.
“We like Natalie,” Rob says, and Jasper shakes his head again. “Therefore, we do not date Natalie. She’s undateable. Off-limits. Just like she is to you, apparently.”
“Great, good to know we’re all on the same page.” I stuff three chips in my mouth, then wish I had somewhere to spit them. I force them down and drink most of my water. “Those are disgusting.”
“Buffalo bleu cheese.” Rob licks chip dust off two of his fingers. “So, why were you looking at a picture of her on your computer?”
“Natalie can tell you if she wants.” It’s her business, not theirs, and something tells me Natalie doesn’t want her online dating profile to become a hot topic with my roommates. Turning, I make my way to my bedroom. There are only two, but I get my own because I pay half the rent. Jasper and Rob split the second half of the rent because they share the second bedroom, using a curtain to divide the room and give them privacy.
Someone must’ve turned on the TV, because as soon as I shut the door, I hear the sounds of a baseball game. Lying back on my unmade bed, I open the computer. Natalie’s face stares back at me, but in my head, I hear Rob’s question.“Were you… you know… to Best?”
My stomach feels a little sick. It’s either the disgusting chips or the thought of doingthatto Natalie’s image.
Quickly I shut the computer and push it off to the side. I get up, go out to the kitchen, and grab a beer. There are two hours to kill until I’m supposed to meet Natalie for what will be the most boring movie. Grabbing two more beers, I hand them to Rob and Jasper and sit down to watch the Yankees game.
* * *
“That wasthe longest movie of my life.” Crossing my arms, I look over at Natalie. The lights have come on and I can see her clearly for the first time in four hours. Reaching over, I pick a kernel of popcorn from her red sweater and throw it on the ground. “You did not tell me how long it was going to be.”
Natalie grins. “Now you’re primed to watch the sequel. It’s six hours long.” She points at the screen. “You can’t tell me you didn’t like it.”
“I did, actually. Now I understand why Rhett and Scarlett get mentioned in reference to epic romances—”
“Alongside your parents,” Natalie looks at me pointedly and stands. More popcorn tumbles to the floor. She brushes the front of her jeans and looks at me expectantly.
Grumbling to myself, I stand and follow her out of the theater. We both pause at the exit to pull on our jackets.
“Where to?” She looks at me expectantly.
I must be giving her a blank look, so she says, “You held up your end of the bargain. Now it’s my turn. But if you’ve forgotten, we can just call it a night.” She starts to turn away, but I reach out and catch her.
“I haven’t forgotten,” I tell her, even though for a quick moment Ididforget what we’re supposed to do after the movie. “My place or yours?”
“Mine,” she answers quickly. “Jasper can be so annoying.”
My mouth falls open, and she laughs. “Just kidding. Jasper doesn’t talk enough to be annoying.” She purses her lips and looks up. “Actually, that could become annoying after a while. The never talking.”
“It doesn’t,” I say, pushing open the door and holding it for her. She walks through, her hands immediately going to her pockets.
A stiff, cold wind blows down the block, whipping Natalie’s long hair around her face. A section cuts across her face and catches on her lips. She tries spitting, but it’s stuck in whatever makeup she’s wearing on her lips. I reach out, removing the hair so she doesn’t have to take her hands from her pockets.
“Thanks,” she says, turning in the direction of her building.
I fall in step beside her, shoving my own hands into the front pockets of my jeans. It’s really cold for November. As Rob would say, it’s colder than a witch’s tit. I keep that thought to myself. Considering the current political climate, it’s not a good time to make comments like that. My mother would say it never was in the first place.
