The Two-Night One-Night Stand by Ryan Ringbloom

macaroni sliding down my throat. His hand rakes furiously through his hair; the front piece is now sticking straight up.
    I have to say something. I need to say something. But I can’t. The pointy spike in his hair and panicked expression on his handsome face is just too much. Did this sexy, adorable, fact-loving nerd really just admit to watching porn? Laughter wells up inside me and even though I try hard to contain it, I just can’t. And before I know it, gales of gut grabbing laughter roll out of me. Moisture wets the corners of my eyes and I reach up to swipe at a few escaped tears.
    “Go ahead, laugh. I clearly have issues.” He has a lopsided grin and actually begins to laugh along with me.
    I breathe in through my nose and hold it, trying to contain any more laughter from coming out. It’s a hard force to fight against and a second round of giggles snort out.
    “I’m sorry. I really don’t mean to laugh.” I gasp with a slight hiccup. “It’s just, I’m the youngest in my family and sometimes my immaturity slips out.” My laughter finally dwindles as I remember that was one of the many reasons Tyler gave during our breakup. He called me childish. Even my smile vanishes. “And being the baby of the family sometimes I tend to act childish even though I’m in my twenties,” I apologize, using the same word Tyler labeled me with.
    “Childish? No way. You’re silly. Fun. I love it. The fact that we’re able to sit here and laugh after all the weirdness we’ve been through speaks volumes.” His sincerity is endearing. Comforting. Refreshing. “I’m the baby, too. I have two brothers, and they’re quite a bit older than me.” He crooks his fingers into air quotes. “My mom calls me her ‘surprise.’ My brothers call me ‘the broken condom baby.’”
    “That’s awful,” I say, but it brings a smile back to my face. “Is that who you were with the night I met you? I remember you were with two guys at the bar.”
    “Yes, that was them. They’re the ones who kind of encouraged me to talk with you.” He shakes out a chuckle. “So much for brotherly advice.”
    “They told you to lie about who you were?”
    “No,” he corrects himself. “But they did encourage me to go back over to you, especially after we got a glimpse of your real date.”
    “My real date?” I’m confused. “Are you saying Nick was there? You saw him? If he was there, why didn’t he come over?”
    “Probably because he was too busy giving free breast exams at the bar to unwilling patients.” Matthew walks back over to the leftover macaroni on the stove and stirs the pot, both literally and metaphorically.
    “That jackass.” I didn’t think it was possible for me to dislike Nick any more than I already did, but it seems I was wrong. “This is why I am done with dating.”
    “You are?” His spoon clinks against the ceramic bowl. “Why?”
    “Because I’m starting to think there’s no one out there for me,” I say, and then regret it when I hear the self-pity in my voice. I play with the macaroni still in my bowl before setting it down on the counter. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound so pathetic. It’s just I ran into my ex tonight.” Matthew sets his bowl down next to mine. His arms cross over his chest and he leans back, giving me his full attention. “He’s engaged.” Saying it aloud hurts. “He found someone that makes him happy, who he can see a future with. And it’s not me. I wasn’t the right girl for him, but she is. Maybe I’m no one’s right girl.”
    “That’s ridiculous. You are absolutely someone’s right girl. Brains, beauty, wit, and sex with you is absolutely mind-blowing.” The words fly out of his mouth. He even uses hand motions to signify a bomb going off in his head. The red that instantly begins to stain his face spreads all the way over to my own burning cheeks. My stomach even gives way to a few flutters. Why couldn’t I have met this guy under different