Page 76 of Tongue-Tied

“I almost forgot,” Mrs. Reid replies, turning her attention to Austin. “Tell us all about it.”

I feel jealous of their relationship—not that Mom isn’t supportive of everything I do. But it seems like most of our time is spent talking about her love-life woes, leaving little time to focus on much else.

“It was uneventful,” Austin says, avoiding my gaze. “There was no chemistry between us.”

Mrs. Reid pats his hand. “Like I said, it’s tough out there.”

“Dex doesn’t seem to have any problems.” Austin smirks. “Though he’s not really interested in dating.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” Mr. Reid winks. “Maybe that’s the trick. To seem unruffled.”

“Have you even met me?” Austin lobs back. “I get all tongue-tied around guys.”

“It’s actually pretty cute,” I say, and his mom smiles. “But yeah, doesn’t help you get much traction if you’re blushing and stumbling over your words.”

“I used to be the same,” Mr. Reid says to my utter amazement. He’s always seemed so self-assured but in a quieter way. “Then I met your mother, and it all clicked into place.”

They share an endearing smile, and Austin rolls his eyes. “Okay, cringe. I can’t take all the googly eyes between you two.”

I huff out a laugh. “I thought you love romance.”

“Not when it’s between your parents,” he retorts. “I’d rather not imagine what they’re up to when I’m not around.”

We all laugh. Mrs. Reid blushes, then leans toward me. “Maybe you could give Austin some pointers.”

“Yeah, maybe.” And suddenly, the bread and butter in the center of the table look mighty interesting to Austin and me.

30

AUSTIN

I knock on the Poli House front door, and Dex pulls it open.

“I brought you Milk Duds to put in your popcorn.”

“You’re the best,” he says as I step inside. “Let me grab a jacket.”

I decided on a movie for our fourth date, and it was up to Dex to choose what we’ll do after, though he hasn’t told me yet and is being all secretive about it.

For my part, I got tickets for the new Godzilla remake because I know Dex will enjoy all the special effects, plus the reviews make it sound better than the last one.

“Have fun, kids,” Milo says from the dining room, where he’s devouring a plate of spaghetti. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“Cool, that leaves us a lot of wiggle room,” Dex teases, and I laugh. I ignore the warmth flooding my stomach as I recollect what Dildo Baggins and I were up to last night. Oh God, kill me now.

We’re dropped off in front of the movie theater and bypass the ticket window since I’ve already downloaded them. We stand in line for popcorn, which goes pretty fast.

“Glad you brought your own candy because those prices are outrageous,” Dex says, and I nod because that was exactly my plan. Between the tickets, drinks, and popcorn, it’s a pricey evening for a couple of college kids.

We get to our seats before the previews get rolling, so we chat while we wait. “So Milo never had a follow-up date from the other night?”

“Not that I know of. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think he has much experience either.”

“How do you know that?”

“A couple of things he’s said here and there about only having one relationship that lasted all through high school. Apparently, she moved across the country for college, and they broke up.”

I frown. “That’s a bummer.”

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