gotten lazy. There were half-empty mugs of tea everywhere, her clothes
created a messy trail from the living room to the bedroom, and she was in her pj’s, a cut-up black sweatshirt and boy shorts.
She quickly ran into the bathroom and combed her fingers through her short black hair. Right now, the back was misbehaving,
turning up in a little ducktail no matter how many times she smoothed it down. She frowned as she noticed a deodorant stain
on the outside edge of her sweatshirt. She hurriedly threw the sweatshirt on the floor and ran into her bedroom. She rifled
through the dresser drawer and picked out a gray long-sleeve thermal T-shirt and an old Marc by Marc Jacobs jean skirt she’d
co-opted from Blair Waldorf during the few weeks they’d been roommates the year before. She just finished buttoning the skirt
when she heard a knock on the door.
She swung open the door and stood in the entrance. Hollis wore a messenger cap and square Prada glasses. His gray eyes looked
slightly tired, like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a few days.
Vanessa grinned firmly, but kept her body wedged in the doorframe. It probably wasn’t a good idea to let him inside.
“Ever heard of e-mail?” she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. In her haste to get ready, she hadn’t put on a bra,
and hoped it wasn’t obvious.
Hollis grinned. Vanessa tore her eyes away from his broad, easy smile. “Hey yourself, Cinderella.”
“Sorry about that,” Vanessa apologized. It must have seemed pretty weird when she’d run away at the stroke of midnight.
Hollis gently brushed past her and into the apartment, surveying the surroundings. A large abstract charcoal portrait Jenny
had done of Dan and Rufus hung above the lumpy, mustard-yellow couch. “So, this is your place.” The way Hollis said it, she
couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her.
“Sort of,” Vanessa said defensively. “I mean, I live with my friend’s family.”
Doesn’t she mean boyfriend’s family?
“For some reason I always thought you were a Williamsburg girl.” Hollis shrugged off his coat and hung it over the back of
one of the rickety wooden chairs in the kitchen. He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in the corner and squinted
at the book spines.
“Um, I used to live in Brooklyn,” Vanessa said nervously. What was her problem? Even Jenny at her most awkward would have had more poise. “Anyway, do you want something to eat?” she asked lamely. She
needed something to do besides stare at Hollis.
She opened the fridge. There was a half-eaten tub of hummus that had turned an odd green color, a coagulation of some sort
of stew, three cans of a strange red Bavarian beer Rufus liked, and a mysterious protein shake. “Scratch that!” Vanessa hastily
slammed the door shut. “Do you want to go out and get a drink? Or a snack? The diner on the corner has really good cheese
fries,” she babbled.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I watched the footage on your camera,” Hollis said, ignoring her nervous chatter. “It’s really
fucking good, Abrams.”
Vanessa blinked in confusion. Hollis sounded like her TA again. Had the kiss even happened?
“Can we watch it together? I’d love to talk to you about it,” he prodded.
“Sure. Sorry it’s a mess.” Vanessa pushed open the door to Dan’s room and kicked a pile of dirty laundry away. She awkwardly
stuck her hands in the pockets of her skirt. Dan’s bags from Evergreen were stacked against the wall, and the bed hadn’t been
made. She knew she should feel weird about having Hollis in the apartment, but it was really hard to think about Dan when
she could sense Hollis’s eyes on her, watching her every move.
“I like it here. You saw my apartment, and that was before complete party carnage. I’m twenty-five and I live in a shithole.”
Hollis busied himself with attaching the camera cables to the computer, then sat on the edge of
created a messy trail from the living room to the bedroom, and she was in her pj’s, a cut-up black sweatshirt and boy shorts.
She quickly ran into the bathroom and combed her fingers through her short black hair. Right now, the back was misbehaving,
turning up in a little ducktail no matter how many times she smoothed it down. She frowned as she noticed a deodorant stain
on the outside edge of her sweatshirt. She hurriedly threw the sweatshirt on the floor and ran into her bedroom. She rifled
through the dresser drawer and picked out a gray long-sleeve thermal T-shirt and an old Marc by Marc Jacobs jean skirt she’d
co-opted from Blair Waldorf during the few weeks they’d been roommates the year before. She just finished buttoning the skirt
when she heard a knock on the door.
She swung open the door and stood in the entrance. Hollis wore a messenger cap and square Prada glasses. His gray eyes looked
slightly tired, like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a few days.
Vanessa grinned firmly, but kept her body wedged in the doorframe. It probably wasn’t a good idea to let him inside.
“Ever heard of e-mail?” she challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. In her haste to get ready, she hadn’t put on a bra,
and hoped it wasn’t obvious.
Hollis grinned. Vanessa tore her eyes away from his broad, easy smile. “Hey yourself, Cinderella.”
“Sorry about that,” Vanessa apologized. It must have seemed pretty weird when she’d run away at the stroke of midnight.
Hollis gently brushed past her and into the apartment, surveying the surroundings. A large abstract charcoal portrait Jenny
had done of Dan and Rufus hung above the lumpy, mustard-yellow couch. “So, this is your place.” The way Hollis said it, she
couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her.
“Sort of,” Vanessa said defensively. “I mean, I live with my friend’s family.”
Doesn’t she mean boyfriend’s family?
“For some reason I always thought you were a Williamsburg girl.” Hollis shrugged off his coat and hung it over the back of
one of the rickety wooden chairs in the kitchen. He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in the corner and squinted
at the book spines.
“Um, I used to live in Brooklyn,” Vanessa said nervously. What was her problem? Even Jenny at her most awkward would have had more poise. “Anyway, do you want something to eat?” she asked lamely. She
needed something to do besides stare at Hollis.
She opened the fridge. There was a half-eaten tub of hummus that had turned an odd green color, a coagulation of some sort
of stew, three cans of a strange red Bavarian beer Rufus liked, and a mysterious protein shake. “Scratch that!” Vanessa hastily
slammed the door shut. “Do you want to go out and get a drink? Or a snack? The diner on the corner has really good cheese
fries,” she babbled.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I watched the footage on your camera,” Hollis said, ignoring her nervous chatter. “It’s really
fucking good, Abrams.”
Vanessa blinked in confusion. Hollis sounded like her TA again. Had the kiss even happened?
“Can we watch it together? I’d love to talk to you about it,” he prodded.
“Sure. Sorry it’s a mess.” Vanessa pushed open the door to Dan’s room and kicked a pile of dirty laundry away. She awkwardly
stuck her hands in the pockets of her skirt. Dan’s bags from Evergreen were stacked against the wall, and the bed hadn’t been
made. She knew she should feel weird about having Hollis in the apartment, but it was really hard to think about Dan when
she could sense Hollis’s eyes on her, watching her every move.
“I like it here. You saw my apartment, and that was before complete party carnage. I’m twenty-five and I live in a shithole.”
Hollis busied himself with attaching the camera cables to the computer, then sat on the edge of
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