“Hmm,” I tease him. “Are you sure you’re not like the other losers I’ve met?” Hopefully, he can hear the playfulness in my voice.
He sighs. “Okay, you caught me. I’m the biggest loser out there, and really, I’m in my parents’ basement right now, buried in old comic books and covered in Cheetos cheese dust.”
Now, it’s my turn to laugh out loud. “I knew it!”
He lets out a breathy laugh and then says, “It actually couldn’t have been better timing. My mom’s a cancer survivor, but it’s only been a few years since she’s been in remission, so my parents are staying home. I’ve been running all of their errands for them, so my dad doesn’t have to worry about possibly infecting her. I do my best to not touch things while I’m out, and then I keep my distance from them—well, as much as I can while living in their house.”
“That’s pretty cool. So, where did you move from?”
“Chicago.”
“You have a New York number but used to live in Chicago?”
“Yeah, I told you, I travel a lot, but I’ll call here home now—at least for a little while.”
“If you lived in Chicago, how did I swipe right on you a few months ago?”
“I was home for a while over the holidays. It was probably then. I might or might not have opened the app a few times when I was here.”
“Hmm, the truth comes out.” I chuckle.
“Guilty as charged. Nothing came from it though.”
“What, no late-night hook-ups that you snuck into your parents’ home after they went to bed?”
He laughs. “Um, yeah, that’s a big no.”
“Wait, so the roommate you mentioned yesterday, who walked in on you when you were dressed in a toga, was your mom?”
“Yes!” he says, his voice raising an octave. “That took some explaining, thanks to you.”
“Makes sense now. Of course a mom would saysmitten.”
“Yes, she did. Look, I hate to cut this short, but as you heard, I have to go fetch them some food.”
My eyes light up in excitement. “‘That is so fetch!’” I say with a Valley Girl tone. “‘Gretchen, stop trying to make fetch happen! It’s not going to happen!’”
“You did it!” He laughs. “And don’t ask me how I know that movie.”
“Oh, I’m going to ask; don’t you worry.” I giggle.
“Talk to you tomorrow?”
“You got it. Night, Drew.”
“Bye, Sharee.”
The way he says my name is so sexy that I swear I feel my heart swoon. I love having this little time in my day to look forward to, and he’s not disappointing me at all.
4
Day 4
March 30
I finally did it! I actually did my hair today and put on makeup. I had been afraid my hair would be permanently kinked with how long I’d been throwing it up in a messy bun right out of the shower.
I wish I could say it’s because I have something special to do or somewhere to go, but no. I’m having a Zoom meeting with my students, and though I might have their same maturity level, I always try to look as professional as possible when I teach my class.
