didn’t shut down in my hand.
Password
, came my mother’s reply.
I sighed, but quickly typed in
Barracuda
.
The reply was a smiley face, then a moment later,
Hope you had fun
and a series of kissing emojis.
The indicator dropped to 1 percent. “Fuck, I need to charge this thing.”
Paul looked at it, frowned, and said he’d be right back. He pulled on some shorts and left me naked in his bed once more, but this time his sister did not invade the room. He came back a few minutes later with a charging cable; he had to get down on the floor and slide partway under the bed to plug it into the wall before he could shimmy out and connect my now dead phone to it. It gave a happy beep as it came back to life.
“My hero,” I said.
It vibrated again and he looked down automatically, then quickly lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “I’m not trying to read your messages, I swear.”
I laughed. “Stop, it’s fine.” Sliding across the bed, I reached for it to see the screen.
Did you get laid?
Which is when I dropped my face into the mattress in complete humiliation. “Did you read it?” I asked the sheets.
“What? No, I—I mean, I didn’t try to, but…”
“You saw it.”
“Sorry.”
I raised my head slowly to find him looking at me with a mixture of contrition and barely contained laughter.
“Oh, laugh it up,” I said. “You know that’s from my mother, right?”
His grin dropped immediately.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I was sort of wondering who used the word ‘laid’ anymore.” He sat on the edge of the bed, looking back over his shoulder at me. “Well, I guess that settles it. I’ll be looking for a new job.”
I laughed. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“They don’t care. Honestly.” I sat up with the sheet clutched in front of my chest and moved close enough to kiss his shoulder. My lips landed on the border where the tattooed tree changed from summer to fall. “The only person they’ll be upset with is me if I cost them a good teacher.”
“That’s fine, but I’m still the one who has to go to work on Monday and have them look at me as the guy who defiled their only daughter.”
With my lips still pressed to his warm skin, the snicker that escaped me made a breezy sound. “Sorry, but that ship sailed a while ago.”
“You know what I mean. Isn’t it pretty much an unwritten rule that you’re not supposed to sleep with your boss’s daughter?”
I sat back on my heels. “They’re really more like your landlords than your actual bosses.”
He gave me a look that required no words.
“But if it helps, feel free to blame me.” I slithered forward and wrapped my legs around his waist. “Tell them it was the boss’s daughter who slept with you.”
Paul laughed softly and patted my knee. “Not helpful, but thank you.”
“You really shouldn’t worry. My parents are total fucking hippies. Free love. Make love, not war. Just be cool and it won’t even come up.”
Grabbing my ankles, he untangled my legs and stood up to free himself. “I’ll try.” His hands jittered for a few seconds, and then he strode to the guitar stand by the closet and snatched up the acoustic. Perching on the end of the bed, he checked the tuning with great concentration.
I had a feeling I was watching a coping mechanism in action. So I got free of the sheets and retrieved my clothes from the floor. My underwear definitely had that not-so- fresh feeling as I stepped into it for the third time, but frankly, it went with the rest of me. I was sticky with dried sweat and smelled like a human walk of shame.
Paul settled his fingers into the same chord progression he’d been working on at the store. Despite my efforts to keep my mind away from the path of songwriting, I was starting to hear the melody that
belonged
with the chords. It was in my head, playing over and over as Paul’s fingers strummed out the rhythm. And then it was in my throat and I
Password
, came my mother’s reply.
I sighed, but quickly typed in
Barracuda
.
The reply was a smiley face, then a moment later,
Hope you had fun
and a series of kissing emojis.
The indicator dropped to 1 percent. “Fuck, I need to charge this thing.”
Paul looked at it, frowned, and said he’d be right back. He pulled on some shorts and left me naked in his bed once more, but this time his sister did not invade the room. He came back a few minutes later with a charging cable; he had to get down on the floor and slide partway under the bed to plug it into the wall before he could shimmy out and connect my now dead phone to it. It gave a happy beep as it came back to life.
“My hero,” I said.
It vibrated again and he looked down automatically, then quickly lifted his eyes to the ceiling. “I’m not trying to read your messages, I swear.”
I laughed. “Stop, it’s fine.” Sliding across the bed, I reached for it to see the screen.
Did you get laid?
Which is when I dropped my face into the mattress in complete humiliation. “Did you read it?” I asked the sheets.
“What? No, I—I mean, I didn’t try to, but…”
“You saw it.”
“Sorry.”
I raised my head slowly to find him looking at me with a mixture of contrition and barely contained laughter.
“Oh, laugh it up,” I said. “You know that’s from my mother, right?”
His grin dropped immediately.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
“I was sort of wondering who used the word ‘laid’ anymore.” He sat on the edge of the bed, looking back over his shoulder at me. “Well, I guess that settles it. I’ll be looking for a new job.”
I laughed. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Oh, I think I do.”
“They don’t care. Honestly.” I sat up with the sheet clutched in front of my chest and moved close enough to kiss his shoulder. My lips landed on the border where the tattooed tree changed from summer to fall. “The only person they’ll be upset with is me if I cost them a good teacher.”
“That’s fine, but I’m still the one who has to go to work on Monday and have them look at me as the guy who defiled their only daughter.”
With my lips still pressed to his warm skin, the snicker that escaped me made a breezy sound. “Sorry, but that ship sailed a while ago.”
“You know what I mean. Isn’t it pretty much an unwritten rule that you’re not supposed to sleep with your boss’s daughter?”
I sat back on my heels. “They’re really more like your landlords than your actual bosses.”
He gave me a look that required no words.
“But if it helps, feel free to blame me.” I slithered forward and wrapped my legs around his waist. “Tell them it was the boss’s daughter who slept with you.”
Paul laughed softly and patted my knee. “Not helpful, but thank you.”
“You really shouldn’t worry. My parents are total fucking hippies. Free love. Make love, not war. Just be cool and it won’t even come up.”
Grabbing my ankles, he untangled my legs and stood up to free himself. “I’ll try.” His hands jittered for a few seconds, and then he strode to the guitar stand by the closet and snatched up the acoustic. Perching on the end of the bed, he checked the tuning with great concentration.
I had a feeling I was watching a coping mechanism in action. So I got free of the sheets and retrieved my clothes from the floor. My underwear definitely had that not-so- fresh feeling as I stepped into it for the third time, but frankly, it went with the rest of me. I was sticky with dried sweat and smelled like a human walk of shame.
Paul settled his fingers into the same chord progression he’d been working on at the store. Despite my efforts to keep my mind away from the path of songwriting, I was starting to hear the melody that
belonged
with the chords. It was in my head, playing over and over as Paul’s fingers strummed out the rhythm. And then it was in my throat and I
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