Eames and Olly were waiting in the hallway to carpool. Olly wore her trademarkX Filestee—a distressed, oversized gray shirt that readThe Truth Is Out There.Eames had tamed some of his curly hair with Y2K butterfly clips.
“Thanks,” I said as Olly handed me a steaming tea from Tropes. I took a sip of the earthy, floral tea as we walked down to the car, my thoughts drifting to Calder.
I oddly wasn’t angry. Maybe Ishouldbe angry. Mostly, I thought it was only fair I got even. He kneweverythingabout me on our date. He still knew everything. Secrets I hadn’t told anyone.
I slid into the middle of the back seat, so I had a clear view of my friends. Eames rode shotgun while Olly drove.
“Spill,” Olly said, catching my eyes in the mirror.
I took another sip. “I would have thought Lithie would’ve given you the rundown.”
We didn’t have boundaries in this friend group. When one person knew something, everyone did.
Eames turned around, gripping the back of the seat to face me. “Obvi she did, but she didn’t saywhyyou didn’t fuck.”
“Did he have bad breath?” Olly asked, turning left toward the winding road that would take us past rows and rows of trees that would bloom in spring, and to the big red-brick building that sat just beneath the mountain.
“Was he the kind of person who doesn’t like butter on their popcorn?” Eames asked.
“Did he want to call you mommy?” Olly countered.
“None of that!” I said as Olly turned into the office.
It was a flurry outside, windy and snowy and hard to see. Snowflakes were like cherry blossom petals blowing in the wind.
The elevator doors slammed shut on our snowy, wet faces. I swiped snow off my bag before it melted and got it wet.
“Okay,” Olly said, turning to me. “If he doesn’t have a secret mommy fetish, and he wants butter on his popcorn, thenwhat?”
“Is that really the bar?” I asked as the doors opened to our floor. “If he likes snacks a certain way, then I have to fuck him?”
“No…” Olly said as we walked to our offices. “But you’re not really giving us anything to go on.” Olly shrugged into her seat, throwing the bag she’d used since college haphazardly to the floor. Eames lifted himself atop my desk.
“Idohave work,” I said.
“We know.” He booped the top of my nose. “You’re answering all the very important questions of the universe. But wait—” He broke off like he’d just had a brilliant epiphany. “I know, answer one now, for your best friends.”
I made myself busy with the clutter on my desk. Pushing around paper clips and pens.
How to tell them that the date wasgreat, just like theotherdate.
That he was who Lithie affectionately referred to asGrave Boy.
My stalker.
“We just didn’t vibe,” I said.
It felt wrong coming out of my mouth.
Wedidvibe. Twice, actually, as two different people. We more than vibed. It was like when we were together the air between us magnetized.
But I knew if I told them the truth, they would freak out and probably confiscate my phone.
BecauseIwould have freaked out, too, if my friends came to me and said,Hey, by the way, the guy I went on a date with is also stalking me—and maybe breaking into my home to do the dishes—but I have no plans of making that stop.
In fact, now that I knew, I planned to mess with him.
“Do we need to match you with some other dates?” Olly asked.
