Page 15 of Love Off the Rocks
I hate to admit he kind of has a point.
“I let her know I’m in demand,” he runs his hand down his torso with a shimmy, “then suddenly she wants it.” He elbows me in camaraderie. “We shared ear buds.”
“Is that a thing now?”
“Well, we would have if she didn’t have an ear infection.”
“Is she sick? And she’s here?” I look around, wondering who it is and how the altitude is going to affect that. Then make a mental note to have Nancy ask around.
“Beats me.” He shrugs. “I didn’t ask.”
“I see,” I say, not seeing at all. “How do you know she wasn’t just saying that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe she didn’t want to share her earbuds, so she lied about having an ear infection.”
He cocks his head.
“You know, like the whole ‘I can’t go out with you, I have to wash my hair’ kind of thing.”
“Oh, man, that’s cold. Supremely smart, but also cold. As ice.” He licks his finger and ticks the air, making a sizzle sound.
I really hope for his sake that Chaz is amazing at his job.
“So, you’re in a band. Ready to settle down in a relationship. And in IT? Do I have it right?” I ask.
He nods. “Yup. What about you?”
Nancy rings the bell that time is up.
Chaz smacks his forehead. “Dude, we didn’t have time to do you.”
“Not a problem. You can just say that I’m enjoying the Pacific Northwest and I hope to see a lot more of it.”
“I got you, man.”
Nancy starts the group on the other side of the room, so we have some time before getting to Chaz and me. So far, it seems everyone is enjoying the exercise and getting to know one another. But then it’s Brittni and Mags’ turn.
Brittni stands and steps to the center of the room, even though it’s not needed. “Hello, everyone, I’m Brittni, and this is Mags.” She motions like a game show host to a prize. “Mags is a Pisces—”
“Aries,” Mags interrupts. “And that wasn’t one of my three things.”
“Well, you should be a Pisces with how wishy-washy you are.”
“I’m not wishy-washy,” Mags argues.
“She loves long walks on the beach—”
“That wasn’t one of my things either,” Mags protests.
“I know,” Brittni says like she’s saying “duh.” “I’m intuiting. To make you more interesting. It’s a process.”
“It sounds more like a personal ad.” Random voices start shouting out questions and comments. “What’s intuiting?”
“What’s intuiting? Great question! I’m very spiritual, by nature, having been blessed with the gift of the sense,” Brittni explains. “The sixth sense.”
“Do you see dead people?” More random comments filter through the air.
