I supposed a guy like Victor was perfect for Kat. He had a dark, brooding vampire vibe about him with the passion to match.
My ideal partner was yet to be determined.
Kat dropped Victor off at the curb and squeezed his hand farewell. He lingered outside the theater’s glass double doors to watch us leave the parking lot, steam curling from his lips. Their love must be all-consuming.
I huddled into my oversized jacket. “Is he still asking you to move in with him?”
She smiled and turned the heater vents toward me for a warm breeze. “Yeah. Right now, we do sleepovers as often as we can. We’ve even brought Jinx. He has a whole setup at Victor’s place, and I got my own closet.”
That sounded pretty serious.
“Are you talking about marriage?” I asked.
She grinned wider. “We’re talking about forever.”
Already? They'd only been dating since Halloween.
I clasped the top of my zipped jacket. “I like you and Victor, but our brains are developing at a rapid rate throughout our twenties. You have time to learn more about each other before making a big commitment.”
“You're so wise for someone with a less ‘developed’ brain than me,” she teased.
“Okay, maybe age isn’t everything,” I admitted, my cheeks hot. “Although you’re certainly more experienced than me in some things.”
Relationships being one of them.
She shrugged and patted my knee. “You’ve got your own expertise. Such as how to be nice in the face of adversity, especially family dinners.”
I scoffed and playfully pushed her shoulder so as not to disturb her driving. “They’re not that bad.” At least not usually.
She waved me off. “I know you’re coming from a place of love. But Victor and I aren’t rushing to the altar or trying to make babies. We’re deepening our relationship and using protection when it’s needed.”
I scrunched up my face. “Too much information.”
“Aw, sorry. How about I let you pick the music today?” She switched the speaker connection to my phone. “So, how was your shift at The Closette?”
“Oh, fine. I ran into an old friend.” I winced at my slip. “Not a friend. Um, someone I went to school with.”
Kat eyed me. “What’s his name?”
“Angel,” I said, twisting the seatbelt in the hopes it'd act as a restraint. Had I mentioned that ‘friend’ was a guy or had she guessed the gender?
She played with the gothic cross hanging from her neck. “Is he angelic?”
I snorted. “No. He’s the opposite.”
She poked her tongue between her teeth. “Ah, was he in The Closette getting sexy undies for a lady-friend?”
“N-no. He was looking for perfume.” For a non-girlfriend. Someone he loved, he’d said. Not that any of us needed to know that.
I adjusted my collar and sniffed at the wafting remnants of his scent-test.
Who was his mystery girl, anyway? Our classmates had brought him coffee or begged to be his ‘study-buddy,’ but he’d never gone out of his way to get them anything.
Although he had offered me candy for my notes, once: a ‘kiss.’ I’d been so shocked by the prospect, I said that wasn’t necessary before I even realized he was referencing the chocolate snack in his bag. And he’d laughed. That idiot was always flirting. How was I supposed to know what he meant?
My cheeks warmed at the memory, and I shook my head. I had to focus on what actually mattered. “How was your day?” I asked my sister.
Kat and I chatted with easy camaraderie, listening to my pop and soulful ballad playlist until the car rolled down our parents’ street. String lights twinkled around columned porches and old trees. The suburbs could be so pretty.
