Earl stares at the blank screen, looking winded.
“She’s coming here,” he whispers.
“Yes,” I say solemnly. “To dust. And feed you prunes.”
He clutches his heart.
“She saw my soul and called it constipated. No one has ever understood me so deeply.”
Earl’s bewildered happiness is touching.
“She really was something.”
“She cares enough to save me from my rug,” Earl says, adjusting his collar. He takes a deep breath.
“That’s how you know it’s real.”
CHAPTER 10 – ANTONIO
The pub Luca picked is new to me. It’s crowded, which usually makes me wary, but Haddaway’s “What Is Love” is playing, so I’m willing to compromise.
Luca looks relaxed, while I’m a walking spreadsheet of worst-case scenarios.
I miss the reassuring weight of a book in my hand.
Luca’s eyes linger on my face.
“I’m so happy you came. I’ve been meaning to ask you out for ages.”
“Really?” The surprise in my voice is embarrassingly sincere.
“Really.” He grins. “You’re cute.”
“Me?” I ask, then wince.
I sound like I’m fishing for compliments when I’m really just processing the data.
He laughs, warm and unbothered. “Guys must ask you out all the time.”
“Um. No.”
I struggle to come up with something clever to say.
“I didn’t bring a book,” I blurt .
“Were you planning to?”
“Maybe,” I admit, cheeks burning. “My sister told me not to.”
“I’m glad you listened to her,” he says, laughing again.
I wonder if he thinks I’m joking. I wish I was.
We order drinks, and Luca talks about his summer. He tells genuinely funny anecdotes. He asks me questions.
“You make history sound cool,” he says. “I like that. You’re intense.”
“Intense like a serial killer?” I ask, alarmed.
