6
mckenzie
I tipthe container of mixed greens into a large wooden bowl. “What kind of dressing did you want on the salad?”
“Honey balsamic,” Hollywood says. “But the dressing doesn’t go on until right before we serve it.” She stirs the pink tomato sauce in the pan on the stove, then teases a strand of spaghetti from the pot of boiling water. “Taste this and tell me if it’s done.”
I bite down on the pasta and it breaks between my teeth.
“Needs a couple more minutes.” I’ve become a much better cook since we moved into a place with a kitchen. But, unlike Hollywood, who can learn a technique once and then run with it, I rely heavily on recipes and precise measurements.
“Don’t think I forgot what we were just talking about,” she says. “You said you and Austin kissed.”
“We did.” I run a peeler down the side of a small cucumber.
She twirls the wooden spoon in her hand. “And? Don’t leave me hanging.”
“And it was nothing. Just a few kisses and a whole lot of misunderstanding.”
“What kind of misunderstanding?”
“Do we have to talk about this now? It’s embarrassing.”
“Um, yes, we do.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m pregnant and I have a craving for something steamy,” she says with a grin.
“That pot of boiling water looks like it has plenty of steam.”
Hollywood pouts. I laugh and then sigh in defeat.
“We didn’t have sex, if that’s what you’re wondering. He didn’t want to touch me while I was drunk, so I...touched myself.”
“You mean, you—” She makes a rude gesture with the wooden spoon. “—in front of him?”
“Like I said, I was drunk. Then I tried to give him head after I sobered up a little, and that ended disastrously.”
“What does that mean?”
“I said something dumb about thanking him for letting me stay over.” I chop the ends off the peeled cucumber and then slice it in half.
She pauses to test another piece of spaghetti, then asks, “Is that why you offered to do it?”
“No. But it figures, the first guy I actually want to fuck would be the one to turns me down.” I begin chopping the cucumber into bite-sized chunks. “We cleared the air this morning, so it’s all good now.”
“All good, as in... ?”
I smooth my lips together. “We kissed again.”
Her smile returns with a vengeance. “I knew Austin was crazy about you.”
“It’s just a kiss, Hollywood. Don’t get too excited. I doubt it’ll go anywhere.”
“You don’t know that. I bet he’ll ask you out on Monday, or maybe he’ll text you tomorrow. No, wait, he’s old school. He’ll call.”
“He already asked me to stay over again tonight.”