Had he meant it?
40/
nico
I was halfwayto the dryer with an armload of towels when my phone chimed. It was sitting on the washer, and I dropped the towels when I reached for it. Fuck it. They’d survived worse.
PACK: Okay, I need a ruling. Is it weird to miss someone and want to chirp them at the same time?
I laughed so hard it echoed off the tile walls. That had been happening a lot more since we’d started texting again.
NICO: If it is, we’re both guilty. So go ahead. Chirp.
PACK: Careful. You just gave me permission, and I’m very bad with power.
I could picture his face with the same smug, ridiculous grin he had the day we met. “So, you’re what my new roommate looks like?” he’d asked. “Try again, champ.”
Fuck you, young Pack. I couldn’t stop grinning at the memory.
NICO: I’ve seen your chirps. “Power” is generous.
PACK: Excuse you. I’m an artist. Chirping is all about timing.
An emoji? The first one since before that awful trip to Buffalo.
NICO: Says the guy who once yelled “you need an eye transplant” at a ref.
Freshman year. Would he remember that?
My message tone chimed again while I scooped up the towels.
PACK: That ref totally deserved it. Also, important follow-up question. Are you doing something boring or dangerous?
I had to think about that.
NICO: Laundry. Emotionally dangerous, physically fine.
PACK: Damn. I was hoping for ladders or power tools.
That stopped me before I could reply. This could have gone somewhere we weren’t ready for yet, so I scaled it back.
NICO: Haha. I dropped some clean towels. Does that count?
PACK: Is this why you miss me? I do laundry perfectly.
NICO: That is the biggest lie you’ve ever told.
PACK: No comment but at least I don’t throw clean shit on the floor. Are you clean btw or did you fall with the towels?
I leaned back against the counter and tried to control my racing heart. This was still about towels. Only towels.
NICO: So what’s your chirp, Paquette? You asked for a ruling, not a seminar.
PACK: Right. Okay. Chirp attempt 1. You dropped the towels because you were distracted thinking about me.
Yes, yes, yes. But I couldn’t admit it.
NICO: Why would you think that?
