“Well, Sam, I’ve been waiting for this moment. I’m your one honest male friend, and I’ve been massively underutilized.”
“This is your time to shine, then,” I mumbled, starting to regret the decision to call.
“I heard that you and Christophe made a night of it. Very proud of you. So are we talking about him, or that waiter Emilie said you went out with?”
I took a breath. “It’s about Charlie.”
“Officemate Charlie?”
I told him about the drunk confession I’d made in the Catskills and how Charlie randomly brought it up tonight, out of nowhere.
“I just wanted your thoughts on why he would still be thinking about it. The conversation happened over a month ago.”
Connor didn’t respond for a few seconds, and I held the screen up to see if he was still there.
“Hello?”
“I’m thinking. I guess there’s a chance he’s hearing you tell him that you haven’t had good sex in a really long time, and now wires are getting crossed, and his brain is telling him thatheneeds to be the guy to save you from your dry spell. Totally possible.”
“For the record, I said it was a sober sex dry spell.”
“Are you into him?”
I scoffed. “No! He’s myofficemate.”
“I thought you guys were friends.”
“We are. But it’s not like that.”
“It isn’t till it is, love.”
I sighed exasperatedly. “It’snot. And I don’t think any wires got crossed. I just wanted your thoughts on why he brought it up again.”
“You asked and I answered. Either he’s crossed from the friend zone into the attraction zone, or he’s just swooping in to save your arse from more drunk sex—either way, my point is that you should figure out how you feel about him before you ask, because it could get pretty awkward if you’re not on the same page.”
“The same page of what?”
“You’re painfully overthinking this. I’m hanging up.”
I swiped my Amex as the cab pulled up to Emilie’s apartment.
“Okay. I can’t say this was helpful, but I’ll let you know if I figure it out.”
“Just stop putting rules on everything. Charlie’s a nice laddie, but all guys fantasize about their lady friends at some point. I know you girls still bingeWhen Harry Met Sallylike it didn’t come out the year you were born.”
I got out of the cab as the doorman waved me up. Charliewasmore than an officemate. He had quickly become one of my closest friends. Iknew from the basement sushi dinner gone south just how destabilizing it was to be knocked off our easy camaraderie. I couldn’t imagine gambling with the idea of crossing an emotional or physical line.
The doorman waved me up to Emilie’s floor. I knocked lightly on the door and waited. No answer. I dug around in my bag for a Post-it. I was mid-note when the elevator door opened and Emilie stumbled out, her left arm draped around the shoulder of a man I intuitively knew was Stephen.
“Almost there,” I heard him say as I stood there uncomfortably. There was nothing good about this situation.
“Hey, Em,” I said.
“Oh, fuck,” she slurred, stopping short when she saw me.
I looked at Stephen. “What happened?”
He sighed heavily. “She’ll be okay, but she’s very intoxicated. I don’t think she should be alone.” He ran his hand through thick, wavy hair. “Can you stay with her tonight?”
