Tristan looked at me like I was wearing a clown suit. “What was that about again? A rabbit?”
“A dream.”
“That explains the elephant in the tutu.”
Jay pinched Tristan’s elbow. “How’s dating going here?”
Tristan shrugged. “It’s like dating in LA. How’s—” He deliberated his words. “Whatever you guys are doing.”
I laughed. “What’s that mean?”
“It means how are things with whatever you guys are doing.”
Smiling hard, I strangled my drink. “You must know what we’re doing. Since Jay’s your best friend.”
Jay touched my knee. I touched his hand. Jay cleared his throat. Tristan didn’t break eye contact with me.
“Sorry. How’s the open relationship?” he said finally.
Jay shrugged noncommittally. “It’s, you know, it’s—”
“Great!!!” I cried.
Tristan smirked, leaning onto his forearms. “So, Cat, how come—”
Jay shot him a look. They stared at each other. The server came around to ask if we wanted anything else. We all said no. Tristan turned to me again. “I hear you write. What do you write?”
“Fiction mostly.”
“She’s writing a novel.”
I gave Jay a look that said,Why the fuck would you say that out loud!??!?!?
Tristan lifted his arm onto the chair’s back. “Cool, I love novels.”
I broke out laughing. He cocked his head. Oh, he was serious.
“So, what’s this novel about?”
“It’s sort of about my parents, but fictional, then there’s this other thing, that’s about me but not.”
“You ever published anything?”
I said no at the same time Jay said yes.
Tristan typed something on his phone, grinning. I said, “Ew, what?”
He started reading a story I wrote five years ago forThe Rice Reviewin an Australian accent. Jay said, “Oh, I remember that one.”
I lunged for Tristan’s phone while he calmly held it above his head. Seemingly feeling left out, Jay tickled Tristan, who spasmed, knocking over his drink. The server glared at us. We stopped.
Wiping up the spill, Tristan said, “You’re a talented writer.”
“Thanks.”
Jay excused himself to go to the bathroom. I made a face that said,Don’t leave me!He smiled and left. Tristan and I pretended to stare at things around the room.
Eventually, I said, “What were you gonna say?”
