“We’refriends.”
“Lie.”
“We are, Heather. That’s the truth.”
“Please. You ogled him like you’ve seen him naked.”
“Well…”
“I knew it!” she cries, slapping me on the arm so that my drink almost spills. “Describe everything to me. Length. Girth. Curvature. Leave nothing unaccounted for.”
“Absolutely not, you psycho.”
She sighs. “You’re no fun. But is it good? I bet it’s good. He looks like a man who can f—”
“We haven’t had sex,” I say before she can go on. “We’ve done…other stuff.”
“I love how uncomfortable you look right now. What other stuff, Ali?”
“Like, third base?”
Heather laughs so loud, I’m sure it can be heard around the bay.
“Shhh.” I kick her. “And wearefriends. We just also happen to be physically attracted to each other, so we’re going with it. We’re having a summer fling. Nothing complicated. Neither of us is looking for a relationship.”
“You’re going with it?”
“Right.”
“Turtle, you haven’tgone witha relationship your entire life.”
“I’m trying something new,” I say. “We genuinely like each other. We respect each other. We have fun together. It’s refreshing.”
She presses her lips together as she studies me, the way she does when she’s going into lawyer mode. “What do you like about him?”
What don’t I like about him?
“He’s…” I look out at the lake, thinking about when I first realized there was so much more to Charlie than provocation and pectorals. “He’s different from me—more outgoing, more confident, not shy at all. But we’re similar, too. He’s really attuned to people and takes care of them in his own way. We can spend hours and hours together, talking or not talking, and we don’t get sick of each other. He’s funny, but he’s also incredibly thoughtful. I can be myself when I’m with him. And I’ve never had so much fun. With anyone. Ever.”
I look back to my sister. Her mouth is hanging open.
“Oh my god. You’re in love with him.”
“I’m not,” I say quickly.
“You are, Ali. I haven’t heard you talk like this about anyone since Oz.”
My stomach drops. Nothing good came from the way I felt about Oz, but the setup is strikingly familiar. Gorgeous man. Strong friendship. Oz and I finished each other’s sentences. We encouraged each other. I told him almost everything I was thinking. We used to lie on opposite ends of his futon, my feet by his head, and talk all night. A few weeks before we slept together, he’d said to me, “No one understands me the way you do.” The night he took me home, I let myself believe he’d been waiting just like I had. I shake my head slowly. I can’t make the same mistake I did with Oz.
Heather sets her drink down and puts both hands on my knees. “I think it’s different this time. Oz treated you like a groupie. Charlie looks at you like he’d followyouanywhere.”
“What Charlie and I have now works for us,” I tell Heather firmly. And itisdifferent than it was with Oz. This is not a yearslong unrequited crush. Charlie and I have been open about where we stand.
“And what is that exactly?”
“Friendship. I don’t want it to go further than that.”
She looks at me with abundant skepticism.
