Page 58 of No Place Like You

Annabelle lets out a low chuckle and a sly smile while Margo and Alma stare at me with gaping mouths.

“I called this, by the way. So I think a triumphant ‘I told you so’ is in order.”

I shake my head through a reluctant smile.

“So what does this mean?” Margo asks, ignoring Annabelle’s smugness.

I shrug. “I don’t know.”

“Are you guys, like, friends with benefits?” Alma asks, a mixture of concern and curiosity on her face.

“No!” I practically shriek. “No, it’s nothing like that. We haven’t really talked it over.”

“Are you going to talk it over?” she asks, the curiosity on her face now fully replaced with worry and disapproval. With her broken heart still mending from her breakup last year, I understand that she’d have some misgivings about the whole situation. Especially when it comes to the interest of someone she cares about.

“Probably.”

All three have grown silent, and I realize they’re reading into this correctly, from my apprehensive body language to the stress in my voice. They see how much this has been wearing me down, no matter how much I’ve tried to convince myself that this can’t go anywhere.

“Uh, where is he?”

“He stepped out,” I tell Annabelle, not wanting to dive into the fact that he’s probably at the hospital visiting his sister. Those details feel more personal and something of Dexter that I don’t know if I’m ready to share just yet.

We all stay quiet, politely smiling at each other before Margo chimes in. “Well, we’re here if you need someone to talk to.”

“Or to spill the dirty details,” Annabelle adds. “We’re definitely here for that too.”

“But seriously,” Alma says. “Talk to him.” She pauses before adding, “And tell him if he breaks your heart, we’re hopping on the next flight to New York to beat his ass.”

I chuckle. “There will be no ass beating,” I assure. “And I’m going to talk to him. Like an adult.”

They’re interrupted just then with the arrival of their food. Plates are placed in between them and off the screen, and it’s my signal to hang up.

“You guys eat your food,” I say once they’ve settled on which belongs to whom and who needs a refill on their mimosas. “I’ll keep you updated.”

They all lift their glasses to me, and I reach for my coffee, only a quarter left, and tilt it toward the screen. “Have an extra mimosa for me!”

We exchange prolonged farewells, adding extra syllables to the word “bye” and excess hand waves. When the screen goes dark, I have a sudden twinge in my stomach. I miss my girls. And as much as Dexter’s made me feel at home here, I missmyhome. My life, my friends, Jeremy and Annabelle. Even Vanessa and Mr. Bean. My mind starts to play a little tug of war, wondering what it’ll feel like when I have to leave, excited that I get to finally go home but sad that I have to eventually say goodbye to Dexter.

I slide to the ground from the edge of the bed, where I perched myself while on the phone. I pick up the remaining items of clothing lying around and start folding them into a pile around me, hoping stayingbusy will keep those lingering thoughts of heavyhearted goodbyes and a home I miss in the foggy parts of my brain where I can ignore them for now.

“Lucy?”

I look up at the open bedroom door just in time to see Dexter round the corner. He smiles when he sees me, taking in my appearance, all messy and unkempt. My bed head has transitioned itself into a small claw clip barely holding back the hair from my face. I now have a sticky coffee stain on the front of my shirt, and the smear of toothpaste I had on my cheek is most likely still there. But he looks at me like none of it’s there. Like I spent the last hour dolling myself up with hair care products and a shiny new outfit.

“Hi,” he says softly.

“Hey.”

He closes the space between us and plops onto the ground next to me. “What are you doing?” he asks.

“Just cleaning up,” I answer. “I’ve become quite a slob since I moved in.”

He shrugs. “I kinda like it. Seeing little bits of you all over the apartment.”

“Like my dirty razor in the tub?”

“Yeah,” he answers with a smirk. “And the smell of your shampoo in the bathroom after you shower. I kinda like that too.”

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