Page 102 of Road Queens
“‘Boinking’?” Cass laughed. “Are you twelve?”
“No, but even if I was, show me a seventh grader who uses ‘boinking’ on the regular. You can’t.”
“I’m not dishing on anything,” Amanda informed them. “Or anyone.”
“But it was good,” Sidney prompted. “You can fess up to that much.”
“... very good.”
“That isquitethe sappy look on your face right now.”
“It’s not sappy! It’s my ordinary smile. My regular, um, look of contemplation.”
“Sure it is. But was it good because he understands the clit exists or because you haven’t gotten laid in ... what season is it again? And which year?”
“Oh, come on, Sidney. It hasn’t been that long.”
“That’s not like you,” Cass observed. “The casual-sex thing. Or it wasn’t five years ago.”
“True. But I’ll be honest, I wanted him the minute I realized the dark circles under his eyes were the color of Godiva’s salted-caramel truffles. I’ve spent the week trying to get my feral libido back on the leash.”
“That’s beautiful.” Cass giggled.
“And he’s tall,” Sidney added. “You always get a wide-on for the tall ones.”
“Sidney! Ewww!”
“I said what I said.”
“But here’s the crazy part ...”
“He likes wearing your panties?”
“I wouldn’t care if he did. What’s crazy is that he said he wanted me the minute he saw me too.”
Sidney and Cassandra, who was in the passenger seat, traded glances. “Why’s that crazy?”
“You’re super cute and smart and fun,” Sidney added. “Why wouldn’t he want you the second he saw the bundle of weird/cute/cool that is Amanda Miller?”
“I dunno, I guess I never believed in love at first sight.”
“Oh, we’re talking love now?” Cass asked. “Because you didn’t say ‘love.’ You said ‘want.’”
“Lust at first sight, yeah,” Sidney announced. “No question that exists. But I’m with Amanda; love at first sight is not a thing. It’s fuckingimpossible! It’s like saying you don’t have to know someone to love them. You don’t even have to talk to them! You’re just ... just magically compatible in every way.”
“Well ...”
“Bull. Shit.” Sidney nodded her head at “bull” and again at “shit,” which had a near-hypnotic effect. “Doesn’t exist. That he wanted to bone at first sight, sure. Love? Nope.”
“Maybe some of it’s gratitude,” Cassandra suggested. “No offense.”
“None taken, especially as that’s part of it,” Amanda replied. “The day we met him at Dinah’s, when he was still in college? He promised himself that if we were ever in a jam, he’d come running.”
“Promise kept,” Sidney said. “Huh. That’s ... kind of cool.”
“Right. So between that week, years ago, and this week, we all went about doing our separate things; only Sean kept his ear to the ground, pardon the cliché. But it’s not just gratitude or altruism. He doesn’t like being in debt. He’s like Sidney and credit card interest rates, and no, I’m not getting her started.”
“Fucking nineteen percent? And twenty-four percent for cash advances? You can get better rates from the mob! How do those people sleep at night? How many Ambiens do they have to suck down to knock themselves out? Two? Five? Thirty?”
