15 #2
“I had to say it in a way that wouldn’t offend her. We were supposed to hang out tonight.”
MC took a long drink. “What are you guys, exactly?”
“Nothing. We just spend time together. Occasionally.”
“Looked like more than that back in September.”
“Why do you care?”
“I don’t. She just doesn’t seem like your type.”
Nora raised an eyebrow. “I’m really curious to hear what you think my type is.”
The pizza came just then, steaming on a cardboard circle, placed on a wire rack at the end of the booth. MC went straight for the paper plates.
“Let’s hear it,” Nora said, keeping her voice casual as she served herself. “What’s my type?”
“I don’t know. I have no idea why I said that.”
“I mean, for example”—now Nora was grabbing napkins—“would you say that you’re my type?”
“Hot,” MC exclaimed, putting down her slice. “Too hot.” The roof of her mouth was burning.
Nora smiled, like this confirmed something. “So, do you like living in New York?”
MC was still trying to recover from Nora’s previous line of questioning. “I like certain things about it.”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know. All the people.”
Nora stared. “You like all eight million people who live in New York.”
“Yes, exactly.” MC shook her head. “I like the density of people.”
“Why?”
“It’s just... interesting.”
Nora’s smile deepened.
“What?”
“No,” Nora said, “tell me more about these eight million interesting people.”
“When you put it like that, I sound vapid.”
“Maybe I’m just amazed.”
“By what?”
“Your ability to enjoy that. You seem to like being around anyone.” She drank her beer. “Even me.”
“I feel like most people are pretty cool once you scratch the surface.”
“Being around people drives me insane.”
“Am I driving you insane right now?”
“No.” Nora looked away for a second.
They moved on to their second slices.
“Do you like living in Green Hills?” MC ventured.
“It’s fine.”
“You strike me as someone who’d want to get out of here. Find somewhere more exciting to live. Or maybe just more remote.”
“Remote places don’t have much in the way of work for outsiders.”
“So, you’ve thought about leaving?”
“Not seriously. I take care of the house for my parents. They let me live there for free. Until I pay off all my student loans, it’s a good situation.”
The mention of loans made MC wonder if Nora had written Girl Next Door for money—the most obvious explanation. But Nora couldn’t have known how successful it would be. And even now, with royalties flowing in, she didn’t seem like a big spender.
Maybe the loans were crippling.
Or maybe something else was going on.
“Did you have to go to grad school to become a librarian?” MC asked.
“I did.”
“And did you live away from home for that?”
Nora shook her head. “Commuted. Just like for undergrad.”
“That’s smart. My parents wasted a lot of money putting me through school in the city.”
“Well, you’re self-sufficient now.”
“I live in a small apartment with a bunch of weird roommates. And I don’t have health insurance.”
“Sounds glamorous.”
“Most days, in spite of everything, I feel like I have a plan. Get more freelance gigs, eventually settle down in a contract position. Stumble on a rent-controlled apartment somehow.” She slumped a little, thinking about Michaela Carson, queer novelist extraordinaire.
“But being home has made me think, you know, maybe I have no idea what I’m doing. ”
“Because you have no idea what you really want?”
MC blinked. “Yeah. Exactly.”
“I feel the same way.”
“You do?”
“I tell myself I have to be in Green Hills. To look after my parents’ place, and to save money. But sometimes it feels like the real problem is that a part of me doesn’t want to leave—like, literally doesn’t want to move on, you know?”
MC’s voice softened. “Why do you think that is?”
Nora paused.
And just as she was about to answer, MC saw Conrad coming through the door—with Jae right behind him.
“Shit,” she said, quickly slipping out from her side of the table and sliding into Nora’s, so her back would be to them.
Nora’s eyes widened.
“Can I...” Panicking, MC scooted closer to Nora, then threw an arm behind Nora’s shoulders, on the booth. “Sorry,” she whispered, “I just don’t want my brother to see me.”
Nora’s voice turned prickly, but she didn’t shy away. “Are you embarrassed to be here together?”
“What? No. He already knew we were going out. I just don’t want him to realize I’m seeing him with Ms. Kim.”
Nora glanced back over MC’s elbow. “Oh.”
Nora was wearing perfume, something subtle and citrusy.
“Don’t they work together?” Nora whispered, shifting her weight a little toward MC.
“Yeah. But he didn’t mention he was seeing her tonight.”
Nora pulled MC’s hood up. “Let’s not have your hair give you away.”
“Now what’re they doing?”
Nora peered out again, her cheek brushing against the inside of MC’s arm. “They’re ordering.”
“Are they holding hands or anything?”
“I don’t think so.”
“At least there’s that.”
“But there’s definitely an energy there.”
“What kind of energy?”
“You know what kind of energy.” Nora slid even closer to MC, their thighs touching. “I feel like one of them is going to notice us.”
MC’s heart was pounding. Nora’s breath was feathering across her cheek. “Hopefully they’re just getting takeout.”
Nora bit her lip. “She’s coming this way.”
“Fuck. Does she see us?”
“I don’t know.”
“It’ll be so awkward if she realizes we’ve been watching them without saying anything...”
Nora leaned in closer and laid her palms on MC’s cheeks, her touch firmer than it’d been the day before, after the Explorations meeting. She tilted MC’s face so it was even closer to her own, hiding both of them from Conrad.
“Bathroom,” Nora said.
MC’s stomach was flipping. “You can’t hold it?”
Nora narrowed her eyes. “I mean Ms. Kim just went into the bathroom. As opposed to getting a table.”
“Oh. That’s good, right?”
“I guess. Except she’s going to have a direct view of us when she comes out.”
“Should we make a break for it?”
“Your brother will definitely notice that.”
“Then what do we do?”
“I don’t know.”
But as she’d spoken, Nora had slid one of her hands, very slowly, to the back of MC’s neck, under her sweatshirt. So when she said, “I think she’s coming out,” it felt like the easiest thing in the world for MC to close the last inch of distance between them and kiss her.
Nora’s lips were soft as they parted, first in surprise, that citrusy perfume making its way to MC’s head.
But then she seemed to find her confidence, her tongue slipping against MC’s, her hair falling across her face as she deepened the kiss.
She tasted like beer and pizza and something minty underneath.
MC’s hand dropped from the table to Nora’s hip, her fingers spreading over the generous curve.
Nora’s posture changed, arching slightly, bringing them even closer.
MC knew she should pull away. Check and see if the coast was clear.
But she increased her pressure. Curled her arm tighter around Nora’s shoulders.
Nora made a low, wordless sound in response, practically humming—which seemed to catch her off guard, because a moment later she broke the kiss and said, “Are they gone?”
MC tried to catch her breath as Nora frowned at the front counter.
“They’re gone,” Nora said. She slid down the bench, away from MC, clearing her throat as she served herself another slice of pizza.
All MC could hear were echoes of that humming sound, but somehow, she forced herself to speak. “Do you want me to go back to the other side?”
Nora poured herself another beer, then offered MC the pitcher. “Up to you.”
MC couldn’t believe she’d actually let herself get carried away like that. She was there to investigate Nora. Journalistically.
She got up, pulse still racing, and put herself back where she belonged.
But when she took the pitcher, they could both see Nora’s hand was shaking.