Page 35 of A Break in Communications

“Attentive, disciplined, skillful,” she muttered, shaking her head with a dry smile. “I’d think you’re describing a good job candidate, not an ideal girlfriend.”

“You know how I am, Mom. I’m sure you’ll get something better from Veronica at some point. For me, I want a woman who’s good at what she does, and you already knew I’d do that.”

And I heard the worst thing I could, which was Lucy’s voice from behind me, before she bumped into me from behind, wrapping her arms around me in a bear hug. “You’ll be happy to know I find your competency attractive, too, dear,” she said, her voice soft in my ear, and it gave me a shudder. I felt like I’d melt on the spot, slosh down the drain and be gone from this world—the thought of Lucy overhearing me talking about how amazingshe was and how attractive it all was—I wanted to crawl under the sink and disappear there like some sad Christmas goblin.

Instead, though, I laughed, turning and resting my forehead against hers, where she leaned over my shoulder. “Babe—how long were you there eavesdropping on me?”

“Your mother tried to tell you I was closer than you’d think.”

Son of a bitch. Since when was my mother clever? And Lucy lurking like some kind of creeper—

Whatever. This creeper was my girlfriend right now. My heart beat faster with the nervous situation, and part of me wandered off to that same thought about what her grandmother had said… whether she actually felt that way about me and that was why she got embarrassed when I reciprocated, and I was so caught up in the thought of reciprocation that, before I knew what I was doing, I’d pecked her on the cheek.

She was so—soft. Perfectly silky smooth. It wasn’t really fair. Not when I was thinking about how badly I wanted an actual girlfriend. Maybe the reason Nicholas Meyers didn’t stir anything for me now was because I was just leaning so much more towards women these days…

“Next time you want compliments, you can just show up and talk to me normally,” I laughed, “instead of just creeping in the background?”

She grinned at me, flashing white teeth against her dark red lipstick, and my stomach dropped when she kissed me—pressed a quick kiss against the corner of my lips, and part of me wondered what the hell she thought gave her the authority, except that—well—I’d been doing it just as much to her. More, actually. “You’re so stingy with compliments normally…”

Mom was giving us a little space, politely pretending to be busy drying the dishes and putting them away, but I knew she was just about dying over this display, and I couldn’t really letthe comment slide with her watching, so I turned around to face Lucy properly. Didn’t really think it through, though—turned around with my back to the sink, and it ended with Lucy pinning me to the counter, her hands on the counter on my either side, pressing up against my front. And my body reacted to an attractive woman pinning me against the counter, even if it was Lucy.

I really needed a girlfriend. It was going to be hard being so emotionally constipated, though, so… I guess… all the better for me if I got to practice these mushy things with Lucy right now anyway.

“Should have just said so,” I said, putting my hands up to cradle Lucy’s face. “Let’s see. How perfectly beautiful you are, how you always seem to have just the right thing to say—”

“Okay, now I’m getting embarrassed,” Lucy laughed, looking down.

“Oh—” Mom put a plate in the cabinet, setting her drying cloth down. “Hold on, I just remembered I need to ask your uncle Matt about something—I’ll be back in a bit. Or a while, it depends on… I’ll be back,” she said, walking out of the room a little too quickly, letting the swing door to the dining room drift closed again. Lucy watched her go, and I felt myself laugh drily.

“She’s subtle.”

“Didn’t expect her to actually give us space,” she said. “She acts like a fangirl seeing her favorite celebrity couple together…”

“My mother has about the same emotional maturity level as Veronica. Of course, so does my father. Who is now forever going to be disappointed with me thatIdon’t show as much interest in his basketball games as you do…”

She smiled wider, still pinning me up to the counter… I’d kind of expected her to step back. The proximity, the contact of her hips and mine, her face so close to mine… I was having ahard time sorting thoughts in my head. “Fair’s fair,” she said. “My family loves you, your family loves me.”

“Your family told me I’m an ugly loser.”

“I told you, Grandma’s obsessed. She just acts like that. She’s going to ask me when we’re getting married as soon as I get back, tell me to get on it…”

I swallowed. Why was she still standing so close to me? Still looking at me like that? Ugh… “Did you come in here for a reason, or just to grab me randomly?”

She smiled wider. “I came in here for something, but for right now, I’m just enjoying how flustered you are.”

“I’m not flustered,” I said, knowing it was a bad lie. She laughed, gesturing to her face.

“All of this is red. You have a cute blush.”

“Ugh—” I ducked my head. “Tell me what you’re here for.”

“To see you nervous.” She put a hand on my hip, and it shot something through me—I put my hand on hers in an instant, like I was trying to pull her away, but I couldn’t. Holding onto me too tightly. Which was funny, because she wasn’t holding on at all, just resting it there and I just couldn’t… I slipped my fingers around the edge of her hand, but I couldn’t figure out how to pull her away. “It’s cute when you’re embarrassed, Anna.”

“I… I haven’t had a lot of physical… human… contact lately. I guess you win,” I said. “I haven’t.”

“Me neither,” she said, smiling wider. “I’m also nervous right now.”

What was that even supposed to mean? I couldn’t figure out words right now. “You don’t ever seem nervous,” I mumbled. She laughed.

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