“Yeah, sort of. I don’t know any roller coasters that last four and a half years though.”
“That’s how long it’s been, huh?”
“Makes us sound old.”
I smile. “Do you want to get off the roller coaster?”
“Stop talking, you mean?” Then, “Uh … oh. Hang on one sec.”
There’s a hum of muffled voices, but I can’t make out what’s being said. It sounds like she covered the speaker.
Wren returns a minute later, speaking at a normal volume. “Sorry. Tanner forgot to pack toothpaste, so he stopped by to grab some. Somehow, he remembered to bring a giant disco ball, but no toiletries.”
I’m very skeptical oral hygiene is the actual reason this guy is skulking around her room, but I ask, “He a friend from Cambridge?” rather than say so.
“From home. We went to high school—and middle school and elementary school—together. Gia invited him.”
“He didn’t ask Gia for toothpaste.”
A pause.
“Are you jealous?”
“I just don’t … you with other guys bothers me.”
“That’s basically the definition of jealousy, Sawyer.”
“Then, fine, yeah. I’m jealous.”
Wren sighs. “Okay. I’ll go ask for the tube back.”
I scoff.
“Do you want me to be honest?” Her voice has changed. It’s lower. Softer.
“Mmhmm.”
“You’re the last guy I kissed. So, there’s really no one for you to be jealous of.”
I tilt my head back, feeling the brick scratch the back of my skull, releasing a long breath that hovers in the air for a while. I’m numbing to the cold because it feels warmer than it did when I walked out here. “We should talk, Wren.”
“We’re talking right now.”
“You know what I mean. Talk for real. Talk … about us.”
She’s quiet for several seconds. “We’ve tried that before.”
“A lot has changed.”
“I know. I’m moving to Milan, and you have a new life at Lancaster.”
“Other stuff too.”
“Like the year? You only have thirty seconds until your shot, you know.”
I figured it was pretty close to midnight by now. “It’ll taste the same at 12:01.”
I don’t have to check the time on my phone. I can hear the eruption of noise inside Lucky’s once the clock hits midnight.
