I type back.
First, ew.
Secondly…
As soon as I type “It’s been a wild month,” my brain short-circuits trying to explain theAlexof it all. My messages start piling up before I even hit send.
So. I’m with Alex now. Like, dating him (I guess).
Don’t scream. I can feel it through the phone already.
It’s a long story.
And we have been having sex and holy shit.
My phone starts ringing before I can finish. I smile before hitting accept. “I was getting to the end.”
“You were taking too long,” Dallas says, voice already at full volume. “WHAT THE FUCK, EMMA?”
I pull the phone away from my ear, but it keeps buzzing for a couple seconds. “Ow.”
“No! No complaining, bitch! You disappear into small-town oblivion and then just casually drop ‘I’m dating Alex now’ like that’s normal? I knew something was going on with you two after what he did at the festival.”
I flop onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, well, turns out he’s been pining over me this whole time, while letting me hate him. Which, honestly? Rude.”
Dallas lets out a high-pitched squeal. “He’s beenpiningfor you. Oh my god. That’s so much better than I could’ve imagined.”
“I hate that you’re enjoying this.”
“Ilovethat I’m enjoying this. Andyoulove that you’re enjoying this.”
I grin because she’s right. I do love it. “Okay, maybe. But it’s also so complicated, D. We’ve spent a decade apart. Our history seemed to vanish and we moved on with our lives. Well at least I did. And now, he’s sleeping next to me every night, and it?—”
“Wait, wait, wait.” She cuts me off. “Did you saysleepingnext to you?”
I hesitate, knowing that she’s going to keep making it a big deal. “Possibly.”
“I NEED DETAILS.” Dallas demands.
“No, you don’t”
“Yes, I DO.”
I rub my temples. “It’s been good having him over. And it turns out, I’ve been deeply, deeply deprived of orgasms.”
Dallasactuallyhowls on the other end. “God bless. About time.”
I roll onto my stomach, kicking my feet up behind me. “He also, uh… has one of my paintings above his bed. He bought it at the Arcadia Gallery show”
“Oh my god, I remember that show. Which one?”
“The big one.”
Silence fills the air for a bit before she whispers, “Emma…”
“I know.”
“No, like, Em. That is some soulmate shit.”
