Page 114 of Hypothetical Heart
When she hangs up and walks back toward me, her hands are in her hair.
“What’s going on?”
“Something’s for sure happening between Luke and Valerie.”
“How do you know that?”
Genevieve is known for over-examining situations, and while she’s one of the smartest people I know, it wouldn’t shock me if this is something her brain has fabricated.
“You saw the way he looked at me when I mentioned her, and I know my friends. Val was lying through her teeth on that phone call.”
I’m sure my confusion laces my features. “Why would they lie about that?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She shakes her head, like it shouldn’t bother her as much as it does.
A moment passes where neither of us says anything, and then the revolving door of the jewelry store swings around.Luke meets us on the sidewalk, holding an identical bag to the one I’m holding.
“You’re fucking stupid,” Genevieve says. “And if I find out that you’re giving that ring to my best friend, I’ll kill you.”
“Why the fuck do you think this is about Valerie?” Luke asks, not defensive at all, which makes me think Luke might be telling the truth.
“Because I know for a fact she’s the only girl you’ve had sex with in the past year,” Genevieve snarls.
“Okay,” I hold up a hand between them. “I’m stopping this conversation now.”
Our driver drops off Genevieve and Luke before taking me back to my building, milkshake in hand for Winnie. I drop the ring off at my apartment before heading up to her place.
I let myself into my girlfriend’s apartment and am met with the sight of her in the living room. Through the open-concept layout, I can see her sitting on the couch with her laptop resting on her thighs.
“Hi.” She smiles, noticing what I have in my hand for her.
I kick my shoes off and make my way around the backside of the couch, kissing her temple while I place the cup in her awaiting hands. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Thank you,” she says, taking a sip of her favorite milkshake from a place down the street. “Sit.” She pats the cushion next to her.
More nights than not, this is where I find myself, sitting on the couch of Winnie’s apartment. Sometimes, she comesover to mine, but not nearly as much. It feels so naturally domestic at this point, like I’m here so much that I don’t even need my own apartment. But I’ve also found that this seems to be the best part of having a girlfriend: being able to do quiet, mundane things without it ever getting boring.
“What are you working on?” I ask, wrapping my arm around her slim shoulders. I only know she’s working on schoolwork because she has her blue light glasses on, and she claims they make her feel smarter.
“It’s a lot more boring than chemistry and biology,” she answers, bringing up the difference in our majors.
I run my finger underneath the strap of her tank top, smoothing over her freckled shoulders. “No way, marketing sounds too cool.”
She rolls her eyes, laughing. “Yeah, learning about the economy issomuch cooler than learning how to save a life.”
“Is it due tonight?”
Winnie shakes her head, and I shut her computer. “Then don’t worry about it.”
“You are the worst procrastinator I’ve ever met,” she says like she’s not going to listen to me, but then she pushes her laptop to the side and crawls closer to me.
“I prefer to do things on my own time.” I smile.
Winnie stands from the couch, and I can’t help but notice how high her tiny cotton shorts have risen. I reach out and grab the bottom hem of them, pulling her shorts down to cover her ass so I can control my urges.
“Wanna help me make cookies?” She asks, grinning.
“By that you mean I make the cookies while you watch?” We both know how me helping her bake works and yet I say yes every time.
