Page 71 of Love Undiscovered
“That I didn’t talk to them.”
“Did you tell him why?” Kat asks.
“No,” I say. “That’s none of his business.”
“What else did you talk about?”
“Let’s see.” I tap my finger to my lips as I pretend to think. “We talked about my fear of heights combined with my jumping obsession. I pretty much emo-vomited all over him and now he thinks I’m crazy.”
“You are crazy,” Kat says.
“But good crazy,” Lexie says, laughing.
“There’s no such thing as good crazy.” I shut my eyes and shake my head. As though ridding the memory from my mind will erase it from having happened.
“Ohmigod. You like him,” Kat says.
“No, I don’t. Why would you say that? Take that back!”
“I will not take it back. You told him two things about yourself that are personal and true,” she says.
“About drinking coffee? Please,” I scoff.
“Kat’s right,” Lexie says. “You told him you don’t talk to your family and your whole issue with heights and jumping thing. You never admit things like that to people. You always make up a story about your parents and why you don’t see them.”
“Didn’t you even start telling people your parents were dead? Which was so not cool to Lex,” Kat says.
“It was okay, I get why she doesn’t want to go into it with strangers,” Lexie says. “But you didn’t tell him a lie. You just didn’t include the whole story, but what you said was true.”
“That doesn’t mean I like him.” I’m tempted to roll my eyes. But I’m trying to tamper that habit. I know I do itexcessively, I hate the idea of something so rote defining me.
They both just look at me. Kat does that to me all the time to get me to talk.
But Lexie surprises me, usually she’s jumping right in to fill a gap in conversation or uncomfortable silence. Kat must have taught her the trick to doing it or something.
“None of this is as big a deal as you both are making it,” I say.
Silence.
Lexie is squirming slightly in her chair though, like she’s about to crack; that is if I don’t crack first.
“Fine. I’m looking forward to seeing him on Saturday. Happy?”
Kat grins big and swipes at her eyes, I don’t know if she’s got real tears or not. “Lexie, our girl is growing up.” She fake sniffles.
Lexie claps her hands, bouncing in her seat.
“Shut up,” I say.
“I won’t,” Kat says. “Do you know how nice it is to see you have real emotions about something that doesn’t involve work, fashion, or us?”
“I’m not having emotions about this.”
“Remi,” Lexie says in a singsong voice. “Anticipation is an emotion.”
“You guys are blowing this way out of proportion,” I say.
“No, we’re not,” Kat says. “We’ve known forever that you guys like each other.”
