Page 120 of Debugging Love

“Are we too different?”

I look up at his messy hair, his dark irises that are almost black, his deep complexion, and his pink lips.

“We’re not that different,” I say.

He relaxes a little and smiles, and then he pulls me in and presses his lips against my forehead. This might be the end of me. This simple kiss. But I still have work to do. And we still haven’t established what it is we’re doing here.

“We better get back to work,” I say.

Chance releases me. He trades my right hand for my left and we quietly retrace our steps.

“What are you doing this weekend?” he asks when we’re near Citizen’s Tower.

“I’m giving myself an advance on my overtime and buying two cans of paint.”

“What do you plan to do with them?”

“Well, first I’m going to open them. Then, I’m going to pour the paint into those tray thingies, and then I’m going to smear it on my wall and my bookshelf.”

“Spoken like a true professional. You went to school for this. You’ll be done in no time.”

I look up at him sheepishly. “We both know there was no trade schooling involved in my computer science degree.”

He chuckles. “I’m just messing with you.”

“I’ve never painted anything but my nails.”

He stops walking but I continue. Our joined hands keep us connected, pulling our arms taut. “Really?”

“It’s okay. That’s what YouTube is for.”

“I’ve painted a few walls since I came back to the States. I could help if you want.”

“You’ve never seen my apartment.”

“Is it bad?”

“It’s full of Hello Kitty paraphernalia.”

He pulls me closer. I tense up, the fear of spying coworkers crushing my mojo.

“I think I can handle it,” he says. “So?”

I release his hand and resume walking. “See you then, crybaby. Leave your Ostrichpillow at home.”

Chapter 26

Chance

Since moving back to America, I’ve painted two apartments. My San Diego apartment got a full treatment of Betty’s Linen, and Austin’s got a wash of Santa’s Beard. Each time, I pored over dozens of paint chips, all shades of white, no two alike. I’m familiar with paint finishes and brands and viscosities, that’s why when Danni says she wants to go with the cheap DIYDepot brand in gloss, I set her straight right away.

“You should go with satin,” I say as we stare at an array of paint chips, all colors of the rainbow, but we’re focused on the blacks. “Gloss highlights all the bumps and imperfections on the wall.”

“The black is going on the bookshelves.”

“And it will highlight every imperfection and make them look cheap. Trust me. You want satin. It cleans easily and hides defects.”

“My bookshelves don’t have defects. I put them together myself.”

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