Page 101 of June

“I’ll message her later,” Enid said. “What do you want to do now?”

“Whatever? I’m flexible.” Caroline turned to her then to add, “And don’t make any sex jokes.”

Enid laughed and said, “How could I? We’ve only had sex in a twin bed, where you can’t exactly flex much.”

“Excuse me; we had sex in a shower, too. And against dressers. And technically, on that chair.”

Enid took Caroline’s hand and moved it to her thigh.

“This is going to sound so lame, but I have a TV in my room. Want to go back to my place and watch a movie? My room has a lock on the door.”

Caroline smiled over at her and asked, “Will your parents be there?”

“They will later, but my dad had a work dinner tonight, so he and my mom are there. My brother might be, but he usually stays in his room and plays video games.”

“Okay. Let’s go. I’d love to see your teenage bedroom.”

“Can I ever see yours?” Enid asked.

“That would require you to visit my parents, and I’m not inclined to submit you to that just yet. They’ll ask you about your entire life plan. Do you have a 401(k) yet? Have you found a realtor for that house you want to buy in, like, twenty years? Do you want to get married? Kids? How many? Pets? Dogs or cats? In their minds, dogs and cats are the only suitable options, and they’re being nice by including cats. What kind of pool will you put behind that house you can’t afford until you’re eighty because of the economy?” Caroline laughed. “They won’t admit the economy thing. They’ll just want you to own your own home by the time you’re thirty and have no student loan debt because, apparently, you can get that non-existent job that pays a hundred thousand a year entry-level and still gets you home by six every night so that you can have dinner with your wife and kids that you may or may not want. Not sure if you’re ready for that, but I knowI’mnot.”

“That’s fair, I guess,” Enid replied with a little laugh.

About thirty minutes later, they arrived in a residential neighborhood with homes that looked like they’d been built in the past century, which was unique in New Orleans. Enid pulled the car over and street-parked, explaining that she had to in order to let her parents get in and out of the driveway for work. Caroline watched her open the garage door with her little clicker and checked that it was empty.

Enid sighed loudly and said, “Good. They’re still out.”

She grabbed Caroline’s bag from the trunk, and they went in through the interior garage door. Then, Enid pulled on Caroline’s hand, not giving her a tour but instead hurrying her up the stairs and then into a bedroom and closing the door behind them. Caroline couldn’t help but laugh because Enid was clearly trying to keep her from meeting the family, or rather, probably getting grilled by them.

“You are really very cute,” Caroline said.

“I am?” Enid asked.

“Yes, you are,” she replied, wrapping her arms around Enid’s neck and pulling her against herself. “ I can’t wait until one of us gets our own place.”

“Well, Idohave a new job now,” Enid said. “It’s not much, but if I do well, Mel might give me more work to do, and that would mean more money. I’m still thinking about finding an apartment and swallowing my pride to ask my parents to loan me money for the first month or two. Then, I can either get more hours with NOLA Guides or get a second part-time job.”

“I’d love it if you had your own place, but don’t do it forme, okay?” Caroline replied. “I’m happy here, in your old bedroom, with your TV that we should name something.”

Enid laughed and wrapped her arms around Caroline’s waist.

“What should it be?”

“I’m thinking Terry or Tiana. I likedThe Princess and the Frog.”

“Tiana the TV?” Enid asked as she slid her hands up Caroline’s back under her shirt.

“Why not?” Caroline replied, leaning in. “Does the TV deserve a title? Maybe it’s Princess Tiana.”

Enid leaned in as well and said, “It’s a decent television, but not royal in any way.”

“Can I maybe see for myself, but later?” Caroline asked. “Can you lock that door?”

Enid dropped Caroline’s backpack, which she still had over her shoulder, and reached for the lock.

“Better?” she asked, returning her hands to Caroline’s body.

“Much,” Caroline said and began to undo Enid’s jeans buttons one by one. “I’m really excited to sleep in a bed bigger than a twin.”

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