“Um, and what would that be, Snow White?”
“Something special.”
Fuck off. I hated her trust in things, her innocence.
“Don’t be romantic with me, princess. Maybe I called you because I wanted to play a little.”
“Good night, James.”
“No, wait.”
“No,” she replied.
“Turn on your video, June.”
This time she didn’t hesitate or pause. Instead she burst into contagious laughter.
“You’re awful!”
“How come you always think bad?” I asked, smiling in spite of myself.
“Me? You just said that—”
“Come on, I like provoking you. How do you act so smart and not understand things that are so simple?”
“I understand that you’re a lost cause. That’s what I understand,” she said right before turning on the video. I wasn’t expecting it, but it felt like I was looking at my reflection in the phone screen. We were both lying down with our cheeks on the pillow.
“Do you sleep on your side?” I asked impulsively.
“Yeah.”
“Me too.”
“Which one?” she murmured, almost embarrassed to look at me.
“Same one that you do.”
“But you don’t know which one that is,” she retorted.
“It doesn’t matter, it would be the same one.” For Christ’s sake, why am I saying this shit now? We gazed at each other for a few moments.
She set her eyes on my bare chest, but then she quickly looked down.
“And so what should we do?”
I could see the bottom of her slim neck from the small screen, surrounded by white fabric. She was probably wearing her pajama T-shirt. “Why not close your eyes?”
She covered her face with her hand. She was embarrassed.
“You’re completely crazy, James.” Maybe.
“Okay, forget I said anything.”
“What did you smoke to say such crazy stuff?” she asked suspiciously.
“Uh, you make such a fuss, but remember, we already slept together, White.”
I was continuing to fiddle with the necklace around my neck. Her big eyes were glued to my movements. She seemed hypnotized by my gestures.
