Page 28 of Perfectly Us

He sees it within a minute. Not that I was sitting there watching or anything.

Alex:Wow. That was a lot to read. If you don’t stop blabbing so much, I’m gonna have to put a muzzle on you.

I smile. My heart thrums, like thin fingers plucking once on the strings. The reverberations fill my chest cavity.

Me:I’m really sorry, Alex. For everything.

Alex:I’m sorry too.

Me:For what?

Alex:I shouldn’t have mentioned that guy from the party. That’s when our night went to shit. I knew it was too personal but did it anyway. Then you left and things just felt so weird. I wanted to reach out but didn’t want to make it worse.

Me:You haven’t come in to try that mango smoothie yet.

It’s the only thing I can think to say. I guess it’s my way of saying that I missed him. A little. The four days of no communication with him sucked. I kept waiting for him to walk through the door to the coffeehouse, blabbing about superheroes or serial killers. Whatever he felt like that day.

Alex:You working tomorrow???

Me:Yep. 9-5.

Alex:Cool. I might stop by :) I’m at work atm. About to count theaters. It’s crazy busy tonight.TMI incoming, but dude, a little kid barfed in the lobby earlier and I had to clean it. Then another legit spread shit all over the bathroom stall. I swear, working here should be a requirement for ppl thinking about having kids. Perfect birth control.

I laugh.

And it feels so good.

Me:That sounds horrible. Sorry.

Alex:I’m glad you texted me.

I stare at his message, feeling a stirring in my chest. It takes me a second to realize that I’m happy.

Me:Me too.

I throw the takeout containers in the trash before going back up to my room, bringing my laptop with me. I boot upSims 4and play the supernatural expansion so my character can be a werewolf. I design his appearance, giving him short brown hair and green eyes. All-too-familiar green eyes.

But I don’t think too much into the reason why.

I go to bed around midnight, and Dad’s not home, but he texts to say he’s still at the bar. Good. He needs a night of fun.

My alarm goes off at seven thirty in the morning, and I take a quick shower, pop that little white pill, then crack open the door to my dad’s room. He never sleeps this late.

He’s sprawled out on the bed, blankets twisted around him, and snoring up a storm. I shake my head with a light laugh and decide to let him sleep in. No doubt he’ll have a major hangover, so I place Tylenol and a bottle of water on his nightstand before leaving the house. I grab a breakfast croissant from the convenience store and eat it on my way to work.

I get there thirty minutes early, so I make myself a cup of coffee, add a dash of cream and sugar to it, and sit in one of the plushy chairs in the corner of the café to relax before my shift.

“Mornin’.” Alex plops down beside me.

I nearly spit my coffee.

“I’m more of a spitter too,” he says. “I only swallow for guys I really like.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask, taken off guard.

“I thought a smoothie and a muffin sounded good for breakfast.” He wiggles his cup in front of me before taking a drink. “You’re right, by the way. Mango tastes awesome. Especially with a chocolate chip muffin.”

His eyes are bright as he smiles at me, and I kind of don’t want him to look away. But it’s me who breaks eye contact first.