Page 13 of Close Knit

“No, got tapped to work a double today,” she says. I glance at the cab driver, who’s focused on the road. “So, where are you?”

“I had a one-night stand!” I whisper into the phone.

“I figured from yoursleeping elsewhere, am safe, cucumber emojitext message.”

“Damn, I was sure I sent the eggplant!”

She giggles. “Spill. Did the geriatric pianist finally put the moves on you?”

My sister and I have been going to the St. Claridge Hotel piano bar since she started working the graveyard shift at UCSF Medical Center. It’s our weekly tradition to get two shakes before she goes to work. I usually stay for an hour or two after she leaves, but no one has ever talked to me, except the occasional person asking me what I’m knitting.

“Thomas is a very polite gentleman, and he would never act indecently toward a lady,” I tease.

“Oh, come on,” she groans. “Give me more.”

“You won’t believe it, but I had two orgasms. One against a window! I thought I was going to have to call you to instruct my one-night stand on resuscitation.” I clasp my hand over my mouth before relaxing. This cab driver has probably seen and heard worse.

Once I got out of the shower and was waiting for my ride, Goose was gone. My curious fingers snooped around the hotel room and found it scrubbed of any clues as to my mystery man’s identity. Apart from his smell in my hair, it was as if he were a ghost.

“What was his name?”

“I have no idea, the whole thing felt so adventurous—”

“What do you mean?” she gasps, and I sigh, ready for her protector speech. “What if he was a murderer? A criminal? A white-collar crime is still a crime!”

Oh no. It would be just my luck to hook up with a crooked politician or oil billionaire’s son.

“Okay, big sis, I need my friend right now. Not my bodyguard.”

She’s quiet, which means she’s either screaming internally or she’s fallen asleep. Neither would surprise me. “Fine.” I practically hear her teeth clenching. “But did you use protection? Did you pee after?”

“Yes and no. Should I have? Am I going to die? I honestly don’t think I could feel my vagina after what histhingdid to me.”

“No, you won’t die, but we wouldn’t want the high from your Yes Year to come crashing down because of a UTI. We’d hate for your groin to be screaming for help all the way from the UK.”

That’s right, the last thing my move to London in a month needs is a UTI. I’ve been planning this adventure for months, and now it’s just a matter of hopping on a plane. I’ve packed all my knitting and filming gear, mapped out a new schedulefor my YouTube videos, and luckily I’ve been to London before—no tourist traps for me. Dual citizenship for the win! With my YouTube streaming revenue and pattern income saved up, I’m feeling pretty prepared. Especially since my apartment is rent-free.

My mom, Prim, bought the apartment back when she was a young artist in London. She was born there, and it was originally artist housing, but now most of the units have been gobbled up by some private company. No biggie, though! We kept it because Prim, being the stubborn woman she is, refused to sell and let go of all those memories. The other tenants are supposed to be really nice, though we have no idea who they are.

“Noted for next time, Dr. Quinn.”

“So you really didn’t get his name?”

“He called himself Goose all night, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll never see him again. He had a flight this morning, and I have no idea as to where.”

His question rings in my ears.Do you really not know who I am?I thought it was all part of his persona, but maybe our evening of secrets gave him a privacy he hadn’t had before.

“Who does he think you are?” Juni startles me out of my daydream.

“Duck.”

“Goose and Duck?”

I shrug. “That’s the only name I could think of.”

“You know nothing about this stranger, and yet you gave up our family’s nickname for you?”

“I didn’t think it through, okay? I wanted to try and not let the little voices of doubt make me believe all the lies about how a girl like me would never have an adventure like I did,” I admit, feeling small. “I’m trying something new, Juni. I want to figure it out myself.”

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