Page 28 of Sapphire Sunset

“Okay, don’t go horror movie on me. You have thirty seconds.Then go in your room, sit down, dig deep and send him a text that describeseverything you were feeling when you described last night to me.”

Connor didn’t move for thirty seconds.

Then Naser slapped him on one shoulder. “Go get that snake,bitch.”

It wasn’t the first time Connor had used apen and paper to draft a text message, but it was the first time his hands weresweating while he did it.

One question. Boxers, briefs, or me?

Gross. No way.

Next try.

I can’t stop thinking about you.

Better, but basic. People always said that like it was thisbig romantic compliment, but the list of things Connor couldn’t stop thinkingabout also included the possible calorie count of his last meal and why one ofhis feet always looked smaller than the other. Logan belonged on a different,better list.

You blew my mind.

Dumb. And not ultimately very sexy. Who wanted to feel prideover somebody’s brains leaking out of their ears during sex?

Are your fingers free this evening?

A dreadful, unnatural hybrid of his grandfather’s sense ofhumor combined with a drag queen’s desire to provoke.

Wear me like a condom you never take off.

This was a nightmare. He couldn’t do this.

He was seriously considering Naser’s ass shot strategy whenthe television erupted from the living room with the opening theme toTheCrown.

“Nas, I’m working.”

“Coming to your senses shouldn’t be work, Blondie.”

But to his credit, Naser turned the sound down. A bit.

Connor shot to his feet and went to the window and its viewof the swimming pool at the center of their complex. Instead of the glimmeringturquoise water, he saw the night dark surf pushing its way into the sea cave,summoning the memory of the ocean spray dappling his neck and cheeks.

The world didn’t seem upside down. It seemed like it didn’thave any walls anymore. College was over. All his friends except for Naser wereleaving the OC in the dust. And his mom had basically implied flat-out that heshouldn’t take the job that had been picked out for him since birth.

Why not take a risk?

Was he really afraid he might do something to endangerLogan’s job?

Or was he more afraid of making an idiot of himself?

No pen, no paper.

Connor picked up the phone and typed.

“So I’m guessing this is aStorage Warsmarathon?” Logan said as the ninth episode began.

“Oof, good thing I didn’t drop you a bunch when you were ababy,” his dad responded. “Wouldn’t want to mess up that brain, Einstein.”

While their living quarters were tight, Logan was proud ofthe job they’d done dividing up space. It comforted Logan to see his dad’ssofa, worn in all the right places, on one side of the trailer’s living room,and on the other, Logan’s favorite easy chair.

“Maybe something else, Pop. Can we try Netflix?”

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