Chapter 26

26

CHARLIE: This gas station has ketchup chips!!

CHARLIE: Chips that taste like ketchup!!

NOVA: Why don’t you just buy ketchup?

CHARLIE: Ketchup in the car is not the move, Nova girl.

NOVA: How many gas stations are you going to stop at?

CHARLIE: It’s only my sixth stop.

NOVA: In a three-hour drive.

CHARLIE: I am quite literally dragging my feet all the way back to New York.

NOVA: Did you order me a pizza?

CHARLIE: Depends. What’s on the pizza?

NOVA: It is a heart shaped pizza with extra sauce.

CHARLIE: Then, yes. That was me.

CHARLIE: Who else would send a heart shaped pizza????

CHARLIE: Is some other bozo sending you heart shaped pizzas??????

CHARLIE: NOVA????

NOVA: Only one bozo.

CHARLIE:

NOVA: And you ordered Jeremy a sauceless pizza with no cheese? In the shape of a…what is it supposed to be?

CHARLIE: I asked Matty to make a pair of eyes.

NOVA: …why?

CHARLIE: So Jeremy knows I’m watching him.

NOVA: Oh. They sort of look like boobs.

NOVA: He loves it. He keeps snickering and taking pictures of it.

CHARLIE: That’s not what I was going for.

CHARLIE: Did I leave a sweatshirt at your place?

NOVA: No.

CHARLIE: …you’re not even going to ask me what it looks like?

NOVA: If it’s black with a badger on the front, I definitely haven’t seen it.

CHARLIE: Nova.

CHARLIE: Nova girl.

CHARLIE: That’s my favorite sweatshirt.

CHARLIE: It’s an Inglewild High limited release.

CHARLIE: I had to push some PTA moms out of my way at the football game to get it.

NOVA: Then you can appreciate it’s in very good hands.

NOVA: Healing update request.

CHARLIE: [picture.txt]

NOVA: Your wrist. Show me your wrist, Charlie.

CHARLIE: You’re no fun.

NOVA: Which one do you like best?

CHARLIE: sdfjksldjfklsd

NOVA: That is not an answer.

CHARLIE:

CHARLIE: Nova.

NOVA: What?

NOVA: Pink or black? It’s a simple question.

CHARLIE: Both. All of them. Use my card. Buy every set they have.

NOVA: This one too?

NOVA: [picture.txt]

CHARLIE: Fucking…fuck.

CHARLIE: Answer my video call right now.

NOVA: I’m in public.

CHARLIE: Then I suggest you figure out how to be quiet.

CHARLIE: Selene wants to know why I’m still in the conference room.

CHARLIE: I can’t tell her I got a boner halfway through a budget meeting.

CHARLIE: I have to sit here until it goes away.

NOVA: I’m not sorry.

CHARLIE: Neither am I.

CHARLIE: But maybe no more pictures during business hours.

CHARLIE: I take it back.

CHARLIE: You can send me pictures.

CHARLIE: Please send me pictures.

NOVA:

NOVA: I asked Selene to block off some time for you on Wednesday afternoon.

CHARLIE: For something sexy?

CHARLIE: You wanna see me in my three-piece suit?

CHARLIE: I can wear suspenders if you want.

NOVA: No.

NOVA: I thought we could have lunch together. It’s the only time we match up this week.

CHARLIE:

CHARLIE: Even better.

NOVA: But please feel free to wear your suspenders.

CHARLIE: Are you awake?

CHARLIE: Nevermind. We’ll talk tomorrow.

NOVA: I’m here. What’s up?

CHARLIE: Did I wake you up?

NOVA: No.

CHARLIE: I did.

NOVA: Lucky for you, I like it when you wake me up.

NOVA: Feeling lonely?

CHARLIE: Feeling far away from you.

NOVA: I’m right here.

NOVA: Want to watch a movie?

CHARLIE: I don’t know how I feel about you and Selene being besties.

NOVA: You can feel however you want about it.

CHARLIE: She wants a tattoo.

CHARLIE: Coincidentally, she also told me I need to learn how to fight.

NOVA: I like her. I’m glad you have someone looking out for you.

CHARLIE: …

CHARLIE: But not more than me, right? You don’t like her more than me?

NOVA: I like you the most.

NOVA: You’re my favorite, remember?

NOVA: Sorry I missed you. I had a client.

CHARLIE: All good.

CHARLIE: Can I call you now? I’ve got five minutes before I need to head to another meeting.

NOVA: Now is great.

NOVA: Why does New York feel so far away?

CHARLIE: Because it is.

CHARLIE: Miss your peanut butter pretzels, Nova girl.

NOVA: So, weird thing happened today.

CHARLIE: What’s up?

NOVA: I went to the grocery store and asked Sandy if she has any more of those heart shaped grapes.

NOVA: Apparently, they don’t cut grapes into heart shapes.

CHARLIE: That’s weird.

CHARLIE: Must have been a limited-time thing.

NOVA: It’s cute that you’re holding on to this.

CHARLIE: I have no idea what you’re talking about.

CHARLIE: I’m going to have to cancel. My meeting is running late.

NOVA: That’s all right. Call whenever you’re free.

CHARLIE: It might be a while.

NOVA: I can wait.

[MISSED CALL FROM Charlie]

[MISSED CALL FROM Charlie]

CHARLIE: My calendar is a nightmare this week.

CHARLIE: I’ll try you again later.

[MISSED CALL FROM Nova]

NOVA: I had a walk-in and squeezed them in between two other appointments. I’m sorry I missed you.

[MISSED CALL FROM Nova]

NOVA: You better not have left your phone at home again.

NOVA: This is harder than I thought.

NOVA: Wow. You must be busy if you didn’t immediately spin that into a joke.

NOVA: Call when you can.

[MISSED CALL FROM Charlie]

CHARLIE: I know it’s late, but I wanted to try.

[MISSED CALL FROM Charlie]

CHARLIE: Fuck, I miss you.

If ads affect your reading experience, click here to remove ads on this page.