Page 74 of The Love Simulation

As we go in for another kiss, we hear clapping. Roman quickly swipes at his cheek and we look around to see thatthe people who were in the administration office are now peeking from the doorway and looking at us.

Angie is there. She clasps her hands together and tilts her head up to the ceiling. “Lord, I see what you’ve done for others. Please do it for me!”

Amen, girl.

I kiss Roman one more time before pulling away. “I think we’ve let them see enough of our lives. What do you say we take this somewhere away from prying eyes?” I say.

“You read my mind.”

Roman interlocks our hands and we walk out of the school together.

Epilogue

“Movie!”

“Four words!”

I wordlessly nod as the guesses begin rolling in for my turn at charades. I’ve got something I’m pretty sure is going to stump everyone.

“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” Jordan guesses.

“That’s five words, not four,” Angie says.

“Lady and the Tramp,” Simone tries, and I shake my head.

“Deliver Us from Eva!Planet of the Apes!The Mask of Zorro!” Jordan calls out in quick succession.

I smile, shake my head, and throw my arms out, palms up.

Angie did call me to set up the book club, and after hearing about it, not only did Simone join, but so did Roman and Jordan. Today’s book features another one of Angie’s favorite tropes: touch her and die.

As has become habit, we decided to do a few rounds of charades after. Jordan is determined to get the most right, but his guesses are always so off-the-wall.

Case in point: “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” he calls out. Just loud and wrong.

“Across the Spider-Verse,” Roman says, his tone indicating it should have been obvious to everyone else.

I point at him. “You got it!”

I love how he gets me.

“Aww, man, does that mean it’s his turn again?” Jordan complains.

Roman rises from his spot on my couch. Angie and Simone prefer to meet at my house since I have the biggest home library.

“Not this time. We don’t have time for any more rounds,” Roman says as he approaches me. He smiles down at me as he takes my hand. “Ready?”

“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” I say. I turn to our friends. “Y’all are coming too, right?”

“Of course,” Angie says. “We wouldn’t dream of missing it.”

We all leave my house, with Roman and me riding in my car and everyone else following along in their respective cars. Not that they need to follow. They know exactly where Juanita Craft Middle School is.

I pull into the familiar parking lot, and we get out and meet at my trunk. Roman reaches for the biggest box of books while I get the smaller one. We head inside, going straight for the library.

“Do you think we need a visitor’s pass?” I ask him as we come upon the front doors.

“Not for after-school events.”

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