Page 11

THE WILD, WILD LIFE

Tasha watched Megan emerge sleepily from the bedroom, reaching down to rub her legs. “Mornin’ sleepyhead! Did Nocturne bother you in the night?”

“Ugh, how are you so cheerful? And, no, Nocturne is fine. She’s kinda cute, actually.”

“Yes, she is. And don’t go stealing my cat’s affections!”

“Oh, you mean like how you’re stealing my daughter’s affections with your cinnamon hot chocolate magic?”

“Exactly! Hey, is Sophia still asleep?”

“Yeah, Nocturne just snuggled up to her and they are both out like a light.”

“Cool. You’ll never guess what I’ve been up to.”

“Nope.”

“I did some cybersleuthing and found Lauren.”

“Lauren?”

“Freshman year, socks on the door, Lauren…”

“Oh, right.”

“So… she runs an adult boutique in Newark.”

“She runs a what?”

“You heard me. Get this, she wants me to do some graphic design work for her website.”

“Wow, that’s crazy! That’s awesome, too. Congrats?”

“I know, right? She’s gonna Zoom… Never mind, she’s Zooming me now. Hey, Lauren!”

“Hey, yourself, Tasha! Wait… who is that behind you? Is that Megan?”

“Hi, Lauren, it’s me.”

“Stop, are you two living together? Because freshman year I totally saw the vibe between the two of you?—”

“Whoa! Slow down! No, we’re not together. Megan’s just staying with me for a bit. Nothing like that.”

“That’s too bad! I always imagined you two together.”

“I’m married, Lauren. Well, at least technically.”

“I did that twice—it didn’t work. I’m in a polyamorous relationship now and it’s been great. Hang on… Please tell me that you didn’t marry that Brad douche that you were dating in senior year.”

“Uh…”

“Ugh, I dated him briefly sophomore year,” Lauren said. “Best sleep I got that year, too.”

“Wait, what?”

“Boring. I’m saying that he was incredibly boring. In and out of bed, actually.”

“Oh, uh… This is a lot right now.”