Page 64 of Theoretically Straight

Caleb snorts. “Really?”

“Yeah, really! It’s important!”

“Okay. It’s seafoam green. Yours?”

“Hunter green. I like that we both like greens, though,” I smile. “Your turn to ask me something.”

“Oh, are we playing twenty questions now?”

“Sure! Unless you don’t want to. If I’m being too nosy, you can always say ‘skip’ or something.”

Caleb chuckles. “Okay. Favorite band or artist?”

“Ooh, that’s a hard question,” I bring a hand up to my chin and stroke it thoughtfully. “Man, I don’t know if I can pick just one.”

“Too bad, you have to.”

“Ugh, fine. It’s probably Sufjan Stevens, but I’m also going through a Djo phase. What about you?”

“I like a lot of lo-fi hip-hop stuff, but lately, I’ve really been into Charli XCX. ‘Boys’ is such a bop.”

“Nice, I can respect that.”

“So, before you think of the next question,” Caleb asks hesitantly, and a spike of panic courses through my veins. Oh no, did I mess up? Am I rushing this?“Don’t get mad, but–is it crazy that I don’t know who Djo is? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of them.”

The relief at the question is immediate, but my jaw drops for a completely different reason. “You’ve never heard of Djo? What?? Oh, man, you are in for a treat, my friend,” I scramble for my phone to play my favorite Djo song. “Fun fact: Djo is actually just Joe Keery, the guy who plays Steve inStranger Things.”

“Seriously?” Caleb’s eyes are wide.

“Seriously! I was shocked, too.”

We sit and listen to Djo for about a minute, and I try not to stare at Caleb’s hands while we do. His hands are smaller than mine, his fingernails still painted with shimmery nail polish, but his hands are still decidedly masculine. The contrast is intriguing. I bet the polish would make his nails feel smooth if I touched them.

Then I remember—Icantouch them. If he’s still okay with holding hands, that is.

I place my hand on the console as casually as I can, trying not to be awkward about it but also not really caring to make my intentions subtle. We’re at least at this stage, right?

Sure enough, he follows my lead and tucks his hand in mine. My stomach flutters at the touch, and I can’t help the smile that takes over my face. I turn his fingers over so I can stroke a glittery nail. The texture is even smoother than I imagined it would be. “I like your nails,” I hear myself say out loud. Smooth, Theo, real smooth. “I mean, I’ve never painted mine before. Never really even considered it.”

Caleb is blushing, which boosts my confidence a bit. “Thanks. I really like painting mine. I don’t think I could go back to not painting them now. It’s such a small thing, but it’s relaxing to do, and I don’t know, I like how it looks. Adds personality. You should try it sometime.”

“Maybe,” I mumble, trying to imagine painting my nails a deep hunter green. I would make a huge mess, and it would probably look dumb on my long, bony fingers. Then I imagine what Harrison or Oliver would say when I came to school the next day with painted nails. Or what Nathaniel would say.

Or my dad.

Shit. Maybe not.

“You okay?” Caleb asks.

I nod, offering a smile. “Yeah. Where to next? Eileen can take us anywhere you want to go within the city limits of Specter, as I’m pretty sure we both have 10 PM curfews.”

“Eileen?” Caleb raises an eyebrow. “You named your car Eileen?”

I laugh. “Yep. After the infamous Dexys Midnight Runners song, of course.”

He stares at me with the same confused expression.

“‘Come On Eileen’?”

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