Page 63 of Heartbeat

“What should I wear, then?”

“I dunno,” he said, midpuff. “Pigtails?” He broke out laughing.

“Fuck you!” I said, also laughing.

“I just needed to acknowledge the long hair. Looks good though. You look like Kurt Cobain.”

“That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” I told him, dead serious.

He chuckled.

“I don’t know man. Just put in some effort, is what I’m saying. Like, a shirt and a tie—”

“I’m not wearing a tie; I’m not applying for a job.”

“Are you not though? I mean…”

We both laughed.

“Although, to be fair, it looks like you already got the position, so,” he said, sharing the blunt.

“I don’t know what the fuck I got, to be honest.”

“Do you like him?”

“Yeah. I think I do.”

“Does he like you?”

“I guess.”

“That’s all you need to know,” he said. “Although…”

“What?”

“I’m just curious. He’s picking you up, which means he’s coming here.”

“Yeah?”

“But Noah and your parents are home.”

“So?”

“Have I missed something? There’s a guy who’s going pick you up for a date and… I mean, unless you’ve told your parents…”

“No, I’ve only told Noah,” I said. “And only because he spent the night Friday.”

“And? I spend the night here all the time.”

I would never be able to explain how much it meant that he didn’t say used to.

“Yeah, but when you spend the night, I never need to ask Noah for condoms.”

He choked on the smoke. “Holy shit,” he said, coughing and sitting up. “You slut!”

“Fuck off, it was an emergency.”

“Emergency sex? How desperate were you two?”

---