Page 46 of Two Guys, a Girl, and a Tripod

“Five more minutes!”

After switching the water to cold, it takes less than that for me to finish up and step out of the shower, using the towel to try and dry my hair as much as possible before I wrap it around my waist. I grab the dirty clothes from the floor and leave the bathroom to get dressed.

“Done?” Brody’s voice drifts from the living room where our washer and dryer are hidden away in a closet.

I shout a confirmation and disappear into my room. When I reenter the hallway, I can hear that the washer is already going.

“You done for the day?” I ask, running a hand through my damp hair as I round the corner. Brody is sitting on the couch, one arm spread out along the back, his other hand holding the remote as he scrolls through Netflix.

“Yeah, I started a little early this morning.” He checks his phone when it buzzes on the couch next to him.

“Who’s got you smiling like that?”

“The girl from last night. She was nice.” He shrugs.

“Nice doesn’t have you grinning like an idiot at your phone less than twenty-four hours later.” I point at the device in his hand for emphasis. “Nice is ‘hey, I’m also seeing someone else and it’s getting serious, so I don’t want to lead you on, but I don’t think this will work out.’”

“Is that what ‘nice’ is to you?” He raises an eyebrow before returning his focus to his phone while he types out a message.

“Are you gonna tell me how last night was?” I would have thought it would be the first thing out of his mouth. Unless it was bad. Was it bad? Do I want that? No… right?

“I thought you’d never ask,” he chuckles, turning to face me as I round the corner of the couch and sit on the opposite side.

I turn to face him slightly, propping one knee up on the cushion. Brody grins, his green eyes shining. I’m not sure I’ve seen him this happy in a while. That’s what I want, isn’t it?

“Well? Don’t keep me waiting.”

“She’s amazing.” Did he just sigh? “I mean, she’s beautiful, man. She sent me a picture before we met, but fuck, it didn’t do her justice.”

I grin at him because I know exactly what that’s like. A certain amateur porn star just about knocked me over when she opened the door. Her smile was so dazzling, I think I stopped breathing for a moment.

“You haven’t been on a date in years,” I remind him with a chuckle. “Don’t fall for the first girl you meet just because she’s beautiful.”

Brody shakes his head.

“There was barely a second where we weren’t talking,” he goes on. “I’m not saying I’m in love or anything,” he adds with a laugh when he sees my expression of concern. “I just didn’t expect my first date in years to go… so well, I guess.”

“I’m glad it did.” I lean sideways, against the back of the couch. “Anything happen?” He knows what I mean, but Brody’s face doesn’t change, doesn’t betray any sign of insecurity.

“I kissed her, but…” He trails off, but it looks more like he’s lost in thought than that he doesn’t know how to finish the sentence.

“And she didn’t run away screaming?”

“I’m surprised too,” he laughs. “Think she’ll go out with me again tomorrow if I ask?”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

“Brody Torrence,” I muse. “A man with absolutelynochill.” He laughs again, shaking his head and looking down before his eyes meet mine again.

“Zero,” he says with something like pride in his voice.

“Have you talked at all today?” I ask. “Texted her or anything?”

“I said good morning, but she told me she had a busy day with work.”

“The ol’ brush off, huh?” It’s a tease, no hint of truth, but I regret my words instantly. A shadow of doubt flits across Brody’s face. I scoot closer and pat his shoulder gently. “I was kidding. I’m sure she can’t wait to see you again.” His phone buzzes in his pocket. “Ask her about tomorrow. Go see a baseball game before the season’s over or something. I’m sure you can find tickets.”

“Is that what you’d do?”

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