Page 64 of Can't Kiss the Chef

She rests her hand on my thigh. I look at her full lips. We’re stuck in this game of chicken when something starts blaring through the speakers we have connected throughout the house.

Pleasure P’s Boyfriend #2.

Lola’s eyes have grown double in size. Once the course starts playing, she breaks out into a fit of laughter. I quickly join in.

“I fucking hate your roommates.” Lola gets out through breaks in her laughter.

“That might be true, but your life would be really boring without us.”

She sits there with a bashful smile, “Yeah, I’m thankful for you guys. Especially you, Byron. I don’t think I would have gotten through this last year without you.”

When she leans over and places a kiss on my cheek, I’m a goner.

“I’ll always be here for you, Pipsqueak.”

23

Lola

I sing into my brush like I did when I was a kid. Some days are just perfect. The perfect song by the 1975 plays on shuffle. My best friend is coming into town and Byron is letting me pick something off the Friendship-Do list for us to do before they get here.

The current status of the list isn’t great, but I still get my coffee everyday, so I can’t complain.

THINGS BYRON CAN DO TO EARN LOLA’S FRIENDSHIP BACK

1) Bring me coffee to every class

2) I get to get to take Mia for a sleepover once this semester

3) You have to clean out Cookie’s stall three times

4) One full catered dinner for me and my roommates where you need to convince your roommates to be shirtless waiters

5) Get mani and pedis

6)You teach me how to skate

7)Plan a day at the Westvale Fall Festival for our friends and us

8)Do the ropes course at Fall Fest

Me:

Is the rink open today? I think it’s time I learn to skate.

The dream was to learn on a frozen pond. Something about it seems so nostalgic, snow falling, hand knitted mittens and hot cocoa. Unfortunately, it’s early October and nowhere near cold enough for any of the ponds in Westvale to freeze over.

Ding

One simple sound from my phone shouldn’t send my heart racing, but it does. That almost kiss has been playing on loop in my mind all week. It felt right, until I remembered I have a boyfriend and guilt took over.

Byron:

Practices are done for the day so it should be free. I’ll be there in ten minutes and we can go skating!!!!!!!!

Me:

That’s a lot of exclamation points.

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