20. Friend Like Me
20
Friend Like Me
We didn’t make out for the whole evening. Space Spies 3009 was too engrossing. But there were moments we sparked. Stolen glances. Shared laughter. Analytical banter about the characters.
Sal pointed at the screen with a piece of pizza. “That spy is just like my uncle Paulie. He always knows someone. You need a mechanic? Or a parking ticket taken care of? He’s got you covered.”
I eyed the remaining boxes. “If he’s half as social as you, I’m not surprised he has lots of friends in weird places.”
“What’s weird about my friends?” He chewed on his pizza at a diagonal angle and stretched his free arm behind me, his eyes twinkling.
I counted off on my fingers. “You have the silver fox, the bouncer, the band, the techie–”
“And the one who builds robots.” He tore off a hunk of crust, then grinned amid chewing.
How did he still manage to be charming? Those dimples did a lot of heavy lifting.
I chuckled. “I’m not building bots lately. But I’m sure we could rally in an apocalypse setting. ”
“All I know is, I’d want you on my team.” He offered me the last of the garlic bread, and my stomach fluttered.
Would eating this particular snack signal we were done kissing for the evening? I picked up the piece and tested its springiness. “I’d like you on my team too. You know everybody, you’d eat anything, and you’d entertain me.”
“Like a clown?” He laughed.
“A jester, maybe.” I nibbled on my snack, admiring his lips and dimples.
This man was born to make people happy. It was a real gift, as was his laughter. His company. His kisses, maybe.
I could give him…something. Not just virtually.
I scooted closer, he slid his arm around my waist, and my phone buzzed with a security alert.
“Fuck,” I muttered, wiping my hands so I could check the screen.
Victor’s car pulled into the driveway, though the tinted windows prevented me from telling if he was alone.
“My brother’s home,” I said.
“Right, no problem.” Sal retracted his arm and shimmied about two feet away.
I reached for his leg. “Where are you going?” Was my breath that bad?
He furrowed his brow. “Weren’t we keeping this under wraps?”
“Oh, yes.” I’d almost forgotten about that. He still wanted to be friends with Janice, and I wanted to be free of judgment. I cleared my throat and pushed up my glasses as the garage doors rattled up to let my brother in.
Footsteps approached, then the door creaked.
“Hello, kids,” Victor purred, his smooth voice rumbling in that strange, affected way he practiced.
“I’m older than you,” I said, my tone flat. “And we aren’t kids.” We paid our taxes and hadn’t been claimed as dependents for years .
“My mistake.” He slunk into the room, his eyes slatted as he took us in. “How are you enjoying your evening?”
“Fine.” I gritted my teeth. What, now that I was busy he wanted to hang out with me?
Sal gestured to the boxes on the coffee table. “Want some pizza, man? We have plenty.”
“What a kind peace offering. Sadly, I’ve had my fill of food this evening.” Victor slid his hands into his pockets and sauntered over to lean against the edge of the couch. “What are we watching?”
“Space Spies 3009.” I sighed. “Aren’t you going to visit Kat tonight?” It’d be nice for his latest obsession to benefit me.
“She’s got plans with her younger sister.”
“And you didn’t want to join them?” Hard to believe. He had no problem third-wheeling here, and he liked Kat way better than me. “I thought her sister was so nice,” I exaggerated. According to him, she was my best friend-to-be.
Victor blinked, the corners of his eyes crinkling with mockery. “She is nice, comparatively speaking.”
“Compared to whom?” I bristled. Was I so mean? Tricking out his car, building him a mech, and wanting to spend some goddamn time together without romantic interests?
Sal stood and stretched. “I’m probably gonna head out at the end of this episode. You wanna grab a Tupperware, take what you want? I’m gonna wash my hands.” He saluted, then sprinted down the hallway.
“Great. You chased off my friend.” I huffed, pausing the show.
Victor arched his brow. “Do you think it’s possible you did that on your own?”
I rolled my eyes. If Sal had such a big family, I doubted a few jabs between siblings bothered him. “More likely, he picked up on the fact that you don’t like him. He’s nice too, you know. I don’t harass you into spending holidays with him.”
“For now,” he mused, glancing down the hall.
“What?”
“Nothing. I’ll go do my nighttime routine and let you two say your farewells privately. Then, would you like to continue watching?” He gestured to the TV and flipped his bangs.
“Not Space Spies.” I was watching that with Sal, now.
“We’ll find something else, then.” Victor helped me clean up the living room, then, mercifully excused himself.
Sal strode in, his gait swinging fluidly like a cartoon character. “Where’s your bro?”
“Brushing his teeth.” I pushed my hair behind my ear. “I’m sorry if he ruined our supposedly ‘normal’ evening.”
“What, are you kidding? I had a great time.”
“Really?”
He nodded.
He was nice, but I doubted he’d lie to me.
I gestured vaguely between us and the TV. “So, we both enjoyed this.”
“I’d watch it again.” He grinned, tugging up the back of his pants.
Damn, my stomach flipped again, and this time it definitely wasn’t because of too much cheesy garlic bread. Those dimples were going to kill me.
We finished the last few minutes of the show in companionable silence, then I helped him to the front door with the pizzas.
He leaned forward as if he was going to side-hug me, then spotted the camera in the corner of the ceiling and stopped, offering me his fist instead. “Thanks for hanging with me. ”
“Thanks for feeding me.” I bumped his fist and chuckled. This was so weird. My lips tingled for no reason, my skin simmering with electricity. Even my toes curled a bit. “Want to do something like this next week?”
“Hell yeah. Text me.” He grinned, shimmying through the doorway.
I stepped outside after him, the brisk November air prickling my exposed skin. “I-I don’t have your number.” Oh my god, that was so embarrassing. “I can message you on GameUp, which is practically the same thing.”
“I can also give you my number there,” he said.
“Great.” Was this pathetic? Or was it normal between friends? I waved.
He chuckled and shook his head, walking away.
Definitely pathetic. I smacked my forehead with my chilled palm. Get it together.
Heart racing, I closed the door and locked myself back in. Everything was fine.
Now, I had a friend. A friend with benefits.