Page 174 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

and he pulls away, nodding.

“You think it’s crazy? That I’m crazy, huh?” He laughs, but it leaves defeated. “Fine. Then yeah, I’m crazy about you, Allison. You drive me FUCKIN’ INSANE. What else you want me to say?”

The pool hall door swings open.

A group of girls eye us as they pile out.

Their giggling dominos down the line of the building.

“Well, well, well, look at this.

“She’s about to get the Harding special.”

“Girl, you in for a real good time.”

They explode into laughter again.

Andrew steers me away against the brick, turning his back to them, blocking them out.

“Ignore ‘em,” he mutters in my ear.

But I can see in his eyes, in the way he’s looking at me, the same lingering terror that comes with sleep paralysis. As if he’s finally waking up from a nightmare, but still halfway stuck in it.

We keep each other’s gaze,

the rest of the world blurring out.

And my voice starts with a sigh, “You find a love letter from Brandon in my room, Andrew,” I say, my words staying between us. “And your response is to pretend I don’t exist for six days, then ask to move in together. Share the same bed every night. Threaten me with monogamy, knowin’ it was never an option for us.”

He shakes his head slow,

like I’m missing context,

like it’s not like that.

But I’m nodding.

“That’s not romantic, Drew.

“That’s a red flag.

“You’re a giant walking red flag.”

A scoff-laugh slips past his lips. “Red. Yeah,” he flicks his palm up at me, “used to be green… ‘Til I fuckin’ bled all over it.”

My eyes roll. “Lemme guess—throw some white on it and boom, now it’s Italian.”

A laugh buckles out of him. “Callin’ out my flag? That’s low-key sexy, baby. I’m proud of you.”

I shake my head,

laying my hand on his chest.

“Nah. That’s not sexy, Drew.

“That’s too much. Too fast.”

He leans a shoulder against the brick, hip cocked, hand in his pocket like he’s modeling for Levi’s, looking at me, his stare lethal.