Page 15 of June (New Orleans #6)

“H ey,” Jill said with a wide grin on her face when she opened the door. “I’m thinking we just stay in and order. I’m really in the mood to Netflix and chill. Is that okay with you?”

All of that came out before Enid could even say hello, so she wasn’t sure what she should say now.

“Um… Okay?”

“Yeah? Cool,” Jill said.

Enid walked into the apartment and took a deep breath. She hadn’t planned what she was going to say, but she probably should have. She knew that she needed to end this. It was their third date, and not that that whole sex-on-a-third-date rule was an actual thing or mattered, but if she didn’t end it tonight, she’d have to do it on the fourth or fifth, and eventually, Jill would wonder what was going on and why Enid didn’t want to sleep with her, and it would be worse.

“I’m thinking Chinese,” Jill added. “We’d get fortune cookies. I love those things.”

“You like the ambiguous fortunes that usually make no sense?”

“No, I like the cookies. I throw out the fortunes,” Jill replied.

Enid laughed and followed Jill to her sofa, where they both sat down. Jill picked up her phone, and Enid knew she’d probably have their dinner ordered within the next couple of minutes, and then, Enid would need to hang out until after they finished, at least to be polite. She didn’t mind the hanging out part. Ordering food and watching a movie sounded like a good night in with a friend. But she didn’t know how Jill would take this news, and if Jill wanted her to leave, Enid would go.

“Hey, Jill?” she asked.

“Yeah?” Jill replied without looking up from the phone. “I’m starving. I’m going to pick what I want and give you the phone because I don’t know what you like.”

“Can we hold off on the ordering for a minute?” she requested.

Jill looked up then, and her eyes bore into Enid’s before she locked her phone and put it on the sofa next to her. Jill had figured it out.

“I see.”

“I really like you.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to make a big thing out of it.”

“I’m not trying to,” she said. “I just want to explain.”

“You really don’t have to, Enid. I get it,” Jill told her. “I’ve been dumped before. Not that this is an official dumping or anything; we weren’t together.”

“When I asked you out–”

“Enid?”

“Yeah?”

“Please stop.”

“Okay.”

“I like you,” Jill said. “I thought we were having a good time together. I kind of thought we could watch a movie tonight, and you’d stay over. If it was just to sleep, that would be fine, but if it was something more, I was okay with that, too.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t feel it?”

Enid shook her head and said, “I wanted to.”

“Not the same thing, though.”

“No, it’s not.”

Jill sighed and said, “Then, I guess, I kind of do want you to explain. I didn’t think I did, but I do now. You said you wanted to go out with me again.”

“I did. I think I wanted to see if I could get there.”

“If you could convince yourself to want to sleep with me?”

“Oh, no; that’s not the issue. If I was just trying to sleep with you, that wouldn’t be a problem, Jill. You’re beautiful.”

“So, it’s my personality that you don’t like?”

“What? No. I love your personality.”

Jill shook her head and said, “I’m really confused now. You like my personality, and sleeping with me wouldn’t exactly be a chore. What’s the problem, Enid?”

Enid still wasn’t sure how to define what she was feeling, but Jill deserved an honest answer.

“I don’t feel that spark.”

Jill nodded and said, “Ah.”

“I hoped I would. I thought I would, but I don’t. And I don’t know that I will. You deserve to find someone who sparks with you, Jill.”

“Do you feel it with her?”

Enid looked away.

“You do. Got it,” Jill said.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“No, it’s okay. I mean, it sucks, but it’s okay. I’d rather know now than get in too deep and have you tell me after we’d… taken certain steps.”

“When I asked you out, I–”

“I know. I don’t know you that well, Enid, but I know enough to know that you wouldn’t have asked me out just to do it.”

“No, I wouldn’t have. You made me laugh,” Enid admitted and smiled at her. “And making me laugh hasn’t been easy for a while.”

“Well, I’ll be glad about that, then.”

“Do you want me to go?” Enid asked.

“Well, you did just dump me,” Jill said, but she winked at Enid, indicating that she was being playful. “We’re going to be friends, right?”

“I hope so.”

“Then, just stay. We can watch that movie, and I’ll order us dinner.”

“Are you sure?” Enid checked.

“Yeah. But we’re not snuggling, so don’t get any ideas,” Jill told her.

Enid laughed and sighed, feeling a little bit lighter but still regretting that it had gotten this far. She should’ve told Jill how she was feeling after their first date. She should have known that the thing she felt with Caroline wasn’t there with Jill.

“So, are you still going out with her?”

“Yes,” Enid said.

“Tell me about her.”

“Really?”

“I need to hear something good tonight. I’d like to maybe meet someone myself soon or, you know, yesterday , so tell me about how it feels so that I know what to look for.”

“We’ve been on one date. I don’t think I have all the secrets yet.”

“I’m ordering, like, one of everything on the menu. Is that all right?” Jill asked, picking her phone back up. “Go on.”

“Go on with what?”

“What’s she got that I don’t.”

“Jill, it’s not–”

“I’m kidding.” Jill laughed a little. “It’s really okay, Enid. I didn’t fall in love with you over the whole two dates we’ve been on. Don’t get me wrong; I’m disappointed. But I’ll be okay.”

“Maybe we should talk about something else, then.”

“I’m thinking she caught you off guard. Did she?”

“Caroline?”

“Pretty name,” Jill said. “And yes, her.”

“I guess so,” Enid replied. “I definitely wasn’t expecting it.”

“So, what does she do?”

“She’s a student.”

“Grad school with you?”

“No, she’s an undergrad, actually. She’s about to turn twenty-one.”

“Really?” Jill asked, looking up at her. “A little young, yeah?”

“I guess. But she’s mature in some ways.”

“Some ways?” Jill lifted an eyebrow.

“I just meant that she doesn’t seem like some girl in college who only wants to play around all the time. I met a few of those when I was in my undergrad. I even dated a couple of them.”

“But she’s not like that?”

“No,” Enid said, shaking her head.

“And there’s that spark you mentioned?”

“There is,” Enid said with a smile. “We have a table in the quad now.”

“What?” Jill laughed and set down her phone.

“We had coffee at this table in the quad once, and now, she calls it our table.”

“That’s kind of cute. I mean, I hate her, but that’s still cute.”

Enid laughed and said, “I think so, too.”

“Have you two…”

“No,” Enid replied. “We haven’t even kissed yet.”

“You’ve kissed me, but not her yet? How do you know that there’s a spark?”

“I don’t need to kiss her to feel it. And we almost did last night. We got interrupted.”

“When do you see her again?”

“Tomorrow night.”

“Busy girl this week, huh? Two dates with me, one with her, then another one with me before another one with her.”

“I know.” She laughed. “I’ve never had this many dates in a row before. I was running out of ideas already, trying to figure out what to do.”

“You were running out of ideas, like, two dates in?” Jill asked.

“I’m out of practice,” Enid offered.

“Well, food’s ordered. It’ll be here in thirty. Let’s start a movie, and I’ll grab us some drinks. You can tell me more about this sparky Caroline.”

“I didn’t say she was sparky,” Enid said, laughing.

“She gives you sparks. She’s sparky,” Jill half-yelled as she walked into the kitchen. “When we are done eating and we finish this movie, want to go to Candace’s?”

“I don’t know. That’ll be late. I’m pretty tired.”

“From all your dates this week?”

“And school. I’m also in school,” Enid reminded her as she rested her head back against the sofa.

“Well, one of us has a new, sparky girlfriend. The other is single and trying to find someone. So, maybe the first one, that would be you , wouldn’t mind helping the other someone, me , meet someone else now that she ’s dumped me. The she is you in that sentence.”

Enid laughed and said, “You know you’re not going to meet anyone at Candace’s bar, right? The only lesbians we know who hang out there are all dating each other .”

“Yes, but I get free drinks there, and I’ve seen a couple of possibly lady-loving ladies there a few times. I might get lucky tonight,” Jill said as she walked back into the room.

“Can I have a rain check? I promise, I’ll help you get laid or meet the love of your life another night.”

“Can you do both? Maybe one night, help me get laid, and another, help me meet my soulmate?”

“Sure.” Enid laughed.

Thirty minutes later, when their food arrived, they ate it with forks since neither of them had ever mastered the chopsticks, and when the movie, which they talked throughout, not really paying much attention to it, was over, Enid yawned while Jill stood to stretch.

“Okay. I’m exhausted. You’ve exhausted me. I’m going to bed,” Jill told her.

Enid laughed and replied, “Time for me to go, then. I’ll call you later?”

“Yes, to arrange this night where you’ll work tirelessly to get me laid.”

Enid’s laughter continued until she was in the hallway. This was much better. This was right. Jill was meant to be her friend, and maybe even a good one. Rory had Candace, and Enid had always been a little jealous of how Rory called Candace her best friend, and while Enid considered Rory to be hers now, just when she’d figured that out, Rory had found the possible love of her life and was occupied with thoughts of strap-on sex with her girlfriend most of the time. That left Enid feeling alone again, but maybe that wasn’t true anymore. Maybe she had a new friend in Jill and possibly something more with Caroline.

When she made her way home, Enid found her father in his office.

“You’re still working?” she asked.

“No, I’m buying your mom an anniversary present. It’s coming up. She’s been mentioning a new Crock-Pot. Should I go with that?”

“No,” Enid said. “No woman wants a Crock-Pot as an anniversary gift, Dad.”

“But it’s top of the line.”

Enid laughed and walked into the office.

“It’s your twenty-fifth anniversary.”

“Yes, I know.”

“So, you need to impress her,” Enid suggested. “Woo her again, Dad. Keep a girl interested.”

He laughed.

“Order a bouquet of those flowers she loves. A big one. Like, two dozen. Have them arrive as a surprise. Maybe get her those fancy chocolates you two had in Europe that she always talks about and can’t ever find here, too.”

“How can I find them, then?” he asked.

“You’ll figure it out, but get her something she wants , not just something she needs for the kitchen.”

“She’s mentioned that she could use a new setting on her engagement ring.”

“Get her a completely new ring.”

“A new ring?”

“Yes, go crazy,” Enid replied with a laugh. “Mom deserves it.”

“Yes, she does,” he agreed. “Okay. I’ll try to track down those chocolates. Leave it to your mother to find her favorite chocolates in Switzerland.”

Enid laughed and left her dad to his research. Then, she made her way upstairs to her room but heard her brother playing video games in his, so she knocked, planning to tell him that she was home and to keep it down.

“Hey, can you maybe turn down the volume or–”

“Shit. Enid!” he yelped and slammed the laptop that he had had open on his bed, facing the door, closed instantly. “You didn’t see that.”

“Jesus, EJ,” she said, covering her eyes with her hand. “I thought you were playing video games. Why is your porn volume on max?”

“It’s not porn,” he replied while she still kept her eyes closed because her brother had been in his boxers. “It’s… a friend.”

“A friend?”

“We were on FaceTime.”

“That was a naked girl, EJ!”

“She’s the girl I told you about last night.”

“Are you covered up?” Enid asked.

“Yeah, I’m good.”

Enid opened her eyes and saw that EJ was wearing a T-shirt and a pair of sweats now.

“Why was there a naked girl on your screen?”

EJ went to press the button on his phone, which had, apparently, been playing music this whole time, and said, “I called her and told her the things you suggested. She’s out of town for the next two weeks at some camp thing. She works there. Anyway, it worked. What you told me to say, it worked, and she didn’t want to wait until she got back.”

“Oh, my God. You were having video sex with her?!”

“Not yet.” He looked exasperated. “And now, I need to call her and tell her that you interrupted us, so it’ll have to wait.”

“EJ!”

“What? I’m eighteen. She’s eighteen. We can do whatever we want.”

“You just saw her naked on your screen. You’ve never even kissed this girl.”

“I will.”

Enid shook her head and asked, “Do you just want to have sex with her, or do you really like her?”

He shrugged and said, “Both.”

“Then, this isn’t it, little brother.” Enid pointed at the closed laptop. “I told you to tell her how you felt, not to do whatever it was you were about to do. If you really like her, call her back and tell her that you think you should wait until you can be together for real.”

“But she was naked, Enid. She wanted to.”

“Good for her. Girl power and all that. But if you really like her, EJ, it should be special when you two do that for the first time, not on some screen.”

He sighed and said, “I need to call her.”

“Good luck. Also, lock the fucking door next time.”

“The lock is broken.”

“I’m sure there’s a hardware store somewhere in New Orleans. Buy a new one.”

Enid slammed the door behind her and headed to her room. She flopped onto her bed and pulled out her phone.

Enid Becker : You will never guess what I just caught my teenage brother doing.

She saw those three dots and waited.

Caroline Timothy : I feel like I know the answer to this one, but fill me in.

Enid smiled and texted her back.

Caroline Timothy : Gross. Was he doing it already?

Enid Becker : No, thank God. Maybe twenty seconds away, though.

Caroline Timothy : Are you traumatized for life?

Enid Becker : Yes. Can you make me feel better?

Caroline Timothy : If you’re proposing we have video sex right now, the answer is not until we have real sex.

Enid smiled and sent her a message.

Enid Becker : I like that you said until we have real sex.