Page 76 of Okay, Cupid

“No, but those are hitting pretty hard.” Then he pauses. “Wait, why are you so quiet?”

“Cal. He’s sleeping.”

“Oh, sorry. We can talk later—”

“No!” Again, too loud. But it’s too late. “I mean, I don’t mind. He’s a heavy sleeper anyway.”

I look down at Cal, relaxing back into the couch, careful not to disturb him.

“How do you feel?”

“Like shit,” Huy groans, his voice going soft as well. “I tried to sleep for a bit, but I kept rolling onto my arm and waking myself up.”

“Alice said that your parents were angry.”

“Yeah. My mom went on a whole rant about how she said playing soccer would kill me one day and how she was right.”

“It was really scary,” I tell him. “I didn’t even realize what was happening until you were on the ground.”

He laughs at that. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t remember much.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm. One second, I was running around. Then I felt the air leave my lungs, like someone punched me straight in the chest. Next minute I was on the ground, and it felt like there was no air left in my body.”

“Jesus.”

“It’s Huy, actually. You should know that by now.”

“God, you are not funny.” I shake my head. “Not even a little bit.”

“Your laughter says otherwise.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

I don’t think he believes me for a second.

“What are you doing?” he asks. “I’m bored.”

“Watching a movie.”

“Which one?”

“The Devil Wears Prada,” I tell him.

“Where’s that streaming?”

“Netflix.”

“Is there any chance you’d be down to start it over?” he asks.

I’m literally always down to rewatch The Devil Wears Prada. “You want to watch a movie over the phone?”

“Anything to keep me from going downstairs just to hear my mom tell me how dangerous soccer is and how she and my dad will have to cover my shifts at the bakery for the next few days.”

“Did she really say all that?”

“You’d think I’d get a little bit of sympathy. But I guess not. She means well, though.” He tries to laugh it off, but it doesn’t sound real. “So … would you restart the movie? For me?”