Page 33 of Quarantine Crush
For a split second, I wonder what made him think of the idea. If he read any part of what’s on my laptop, I will probably have to move out of the state and change my name. Yet the excitement in his expression is genuine, so I shove my suspicion–and potential mortification–aside. Besides, it’s not like it’s an odd request. We’ve been playing it since we were kids. So instead, I muster up my bravest smile. “I keep telling you that nobody calls us Emnox, you weirdo. If we were going to have a name, it would be Knemy. But to answer your question, if you feel like losing,” I say with a shrug. “I’m down.”
“Hmm, I don’t know, Hess. It’s been a long time, and I’ve learned some new tricks.”
“Please,” I scoff. “What is it they say about old dogs?”
“Oh, you’re going down.”
I laugh and glance at the clock.
“Well then, after dinner, I’m more than happy to kick your ass in a game of cards,” I say, moving to the kitchen to peruse our options for dinner. Knox follows, peeking over the top of my shoulder, his nearness making my skin heat.
“I know we have plenty of food, but I would kill for some Uncle Vinny’s,” Knox says. “Their Peppa-Friggin-Roni is the best.”
“No way,” I scoff, closing the fridge and turning to lean my hip against the counter. “Quattro or bust!”
“I also kind of want a Central Park,” Knox says, rubbing a hand over his flat stomach.
I bite my lip at the sight of the thin line of tanned skin that shows with the motion, my stomach grumbling with an entirely different hunger.
I tear my eyes away and take another sip of my wine, hoping like hell it will cool my raging libido. “I could go for some Funky Chicken.”
Knox groans. “Yes. Let’s get all the pizza. It will be just like when we were kids. Pizza and Bullshit. Except this time, we’re finally old enough to drink our own liquor, so we don’t have to steal that terrible beer the dads always kept in the basement fridge.”
I laugh at the memory of the foul-tasting beer. “You know, I’ve never seen that beer as an adult. Sometimes I wonder if they bought it specifically to punish us.”
Knox’s eyes widen. “You think they knew we were nicking their beers?”
I grin and shrug. “The dads know everything.”
Knox chuckles. “It’s true. They’ve always reminded me of the two old men from that Grumpy Old Men movie.”
I laugh at Knox’s very accurate description of our nosey fathers. If I thought Knox and I were tight, it’s nothing compared to our dads. Those two goofballs put the bro in bromance. I take another sip of my wine but quickly set the glass down as I realize I need to get some food in me soon if I want to keep drinking.
“Okay, back on topic. Food. I’m okay with ordering some pizza for delivery, but we don’t need four pizzas.”
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing Uncle Vinnie’s will let us quarter the toppings then,” Knox says, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. “That way, we don’t have to compromise.”
I roll my eyes and slip past him to grab my phone.
“Don’t forget the garlic cheese knots,” Knox calls after me.
I pad across the room, snatch my phone, and settle onto the couch as I pull up the app to order our dinner.
“And done,” I say as I fire it off, smiling up at Knox as he hands me my glass of wine before sitting down next to me. “It should be here in about forty-five minutes. We’ll have to go down and grab it from the driver when he gets here because, according to the quarantine alert on the app, they won’t enter the building. I guess that’s a good thing though because I should probably check my mailbox. This damn quarantine is messing with my brain. I can’t even remember what day it is.”
Knox chuckles. “Time doesn’t really seem to matter much right now, does it?”
I reach forward, grabbing the remote from the table, turn on the television, and select my Netflix account. “What should we watch until the food gets here?” I ask.
“A couple of my mates were talking about that one,” Knox says.
I scrunch my nose. “Tigers? Really? And why does that guy look like the hillbilly version of a Lisa Frank drawing?”
Knox turns an amused smile my way. “It’s supposed to be completely insane.”
I shrug and click on the first episode.
“Is it bad that I really want a t-shirt that saysI got peed on by a tiger?” Knox asks as we ride the elevator downstairs an hour later.
