Stir Me (Rouse Me 2)

"Have you ever felt fake ones?" She raises her eyebrows and she almost smiles.

"I'm from San Diego."

She rolls her eyes. Again. "Well, I'm glad you're dating someone with integrity."

There's a lightness in my body. I know this isn't the time to extol Alyssa's virtues, but she is a person with integrity. And she's so much more. "She's amazing."

"Amazingly hot?"

I shake my head. "She's thoughtful. She's sweet. She's smart as all hell. Reads the most English grad student stuff. And she's so passionate about what she does. You know how that gets me."

Samantha folds her arms. "I get it, Luke. She's hot and smart and puts up with shit like you being here. What more could you expect?"

"I don't care that she's hot."

"Uh-huh."

"Don't get me wrong. She's amazingly hot. But I'd be with her even if she was a hideous beast."

"That's what guys always say when they're dating hot women."

"It's not about how she looks. It's about... do you really want me to get into why I'm madly in love with my girlfriend?"

"I'll give you one guess." She almost cracks a smile. The mood is finally starting to lighten a little, and the room feels a little brighter and more colorful. She looks down at her blanket, entirely focused on pulling lint off it. "I thought you'd leave after yesterday."

"You know it's harder than that to get rid of me."

She takes a moment to compose herself and looks straight at me. "You shouldn't be here. I don't want to take you away from your life."

"I want to be here."

"Why?" Her voice is low, like she really doesn't know.

"You're my best friend. This is what friends do." I scoot my chair closer to her.

She cringes. "Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"My dad is going to flip if he sees you around."

"You're almost thirty--"

"Thanks for the reminder. That really helps my mood."

"Okay," I say. "Tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it. I'll visit at strange hours, or I'll meet you at some lame organic restaurant, or I'll climb up your trellis like Joey Potter."

"Who?"

"Dawson's Creek."

She stares at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. I always forget how little Samantha knows of pop culture.

"Use English, please," she says.

"Okay. Dawson lives on the creek in Capeside and Joey is his best friend. She's from the wrong side of the tracks, but she's a great student. Very smart and into art and literature. He's more lowbrow and painfully earnest. He lives and dies for Spielberg."

"One more word about that stupid teen soap and I will slap you," she says.