Page 87 of Kissing is the Easy Part

“I’m not a science nerd, but I know at least this much: no amount of catalysts can force a reaction that wasn’t meant to happen in the first place. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to Ray.”

Sean raised his eyebrows. “Impressive. But he’s an unstable compound prone to spontaneous reactions. Given the right conditions, he could undergo an irreversible transformation, and once his molecular structure degrades, there’s no predicting the chain reaction that might follow.”

Ugh. Why did I bring up science?

When we still couldn’t reach a unanimous agreement, Sean tackled it from another angle. “Okay, how wouldyoufeel if I invited some girl to my room?”

I tilted my head, considering the unlikely scenario. “I wouldn’t be overjoyed, but that’s different.”

“How?”

“Because.”I rolled my eyes. “You’re not like that. You don’t even let Josie in your room. If you suddenly wanted alone time with another girl, I’d know something was up. It would be out of character for you. But for me, it doesn’t mean anything because that’s what I do. Which is why we should have customized rules to suit our different personalities.”

“You just used five sentences to describe double standards.”

I can’t debate with him. He’s too good. He has a valid point, and he sticks to his boundaries. But I’m not wrong either. We’re fundamentally different people expected to fit into the same mold. I have my own idea of how close I want to be with other people, yet Sean wants everything to be equal and standardized.

So now I find myself sitting in my room alone. I rearrange my closet. Run the jade roller over my face to feel productive. Post an entry in the style blog Sean made for me. Learn a new hair trick off YouTube and attempt a side fishtail braid.

Just as I’m about to shrivel up and die of boredom, my phone rings.

“Whatcha doin’?” Raymond sings.

“Braiding my hair and waiting for Sean.”

He makes a dramatic gagging noise. “Wow. Riveting. Come over to my place.”

“I can’t. I’m in a relationship.”

Silence. Then, “Okay. And?”

“And I mean I can’t hang out with you.”

There’s a long pause, like he’s trying to reboot his entire brain. “Wait. Are you saying that because you have a boyfriend, you can never see me again? Ever? Do I need to submit a formal request? Get a permission slip signed?”

“Well, we can hang out, but not like this. We can gather a few more people and meet at the mall. Or a movie theater.”

“A movie theater?” He sounds like I’ve invited him to clean out an elephant’s cage at the zoo. “Have youseenmy home theater? And you think I’d trade that for sticky floors and seats with mystery stains? Hard pass. Also, I hate everybody. They all annoy me.”

I laugh. Ray could write an encyclopedia with all his pet peeves.

“Wow,” he mutters. “So this is it. The great Flora Morgan has fallen. Next thing you know, you’ll start saying things likeWe love that showandOur favorite restaurant.”

“Stop being dramatic,” I say as he starts to fake sob.

“I got hold of some Czech beer that’s supposedly good. Let’s invite Sean to share with us. I guess I can tolerate your boyfriend if that’s what it takes.”

Wow, hereallywants my company. “That’s nice of you to offer, but too much beer will damage Sean’s valuable brain cells.”

“If he’s as smart as you claim, he should have plenty to spare.”

“Actually, Sean says intelligence has more to do with the folds and grooves of the brain than the number of brain cells.”

Raymond makes that disgruntled noise again. “I get that you worship him, but you quoting him all the time is seriously testing our friendship.”

Gosh, he sounds like Madison. I decide to share the reason Sean and I broke up, just so he doesn’t assume I’m blowing him off for no reason.

“What?I didn’t hit on you!”