Page 27 of The Significance of Moving On

Thankfully the vintage woman pops her head through the doorway to the changing area, separating me from this awkward situation. We don’t need any more awkwardness. There’s been enough for a lifetime.

“Oh, my. You can try on as many dresses as you like, but I’ll only sell you this one.” The woman has one hand on her mustard yellow hip, while the other one cups her chin, rapping a two-fingered drum beat on her cheek. Her pixie-like hair makes her seem diminutive, even in her high white-patent boots.

“My thoughts exactly.” I say.

To my dismay, shopping and finding a vintage dress means shopping and finding vintage shoes to match. Though, the way Tally gets into the experience, I don’t mind waiting longer. The store has a purple crushed velvet chaise in the corner of the room. I plop down and fiddle on my phone until she’s ready to go.

We stop off at the little Jade Garden for some take-out Chinese before heading home. She and Tom never ate Chinese food because he preferred Japanese, she’d told me once. Maybe starting new traditions with me on his birthday—it won’t help her forget. I don’t want it to. But at least it might distract her thoughts. Bay Road used to be the busiest street in the city, now it’s mostly vacant storefronts—and restaurants. Plenty of those, mostly of the mega chain variety. This restaurant is literally a hut. It’s kitschy. I hope Able Mackey knows her well enough to avoid the chains before the dance.

My phone dings with a text from Demetrius at the same time Tally’s dings, too.

“He’s there.” We both look up from our phones, same reaction time. Lucky bastard gets to take the girl he cares about to her senior year homecoming dance. Now that I think of it, maybe I should’ve insisted Tal get a dress with more coverage. Maybe Able Mackey doesn’t need to know how pert her breasts actually are.

“You okay?”

“What?” And then I realize I’ve been sitting here gritting my teeth, probably down to nubs. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

I nod. “How’s the War Shu Gai?”

After we’ve finished eating, because last minute Tally decided she wanted to eat in instead of taking the food home, I pay the bill and we leave. On the drive home, she doesn’t speak, but the silence finally isn’t awkward because she’s smiling again, admiring the gold chemise—the woman at the vintage store told us it’s called—rubbing the delicate fabric between her fingers.

I imagine she’s thinking of a bag and how she’ll wear her hair, because I sure as hell am thinking about how she’ll wear her hair. Everything needs to be perfect for this girl. To the best of my ability I’ll make it happen.

Pulling in the driveway isn’t as emotional as when we left. When Tal is in her room hanging up the dress, I put in a movie, something funny to keep the good feelings she’s worked up to from fading. Then I head to the kitchen grabbing a box of caramel corn from the cupboard, pouring it into two bowls and grab two diet sodas out of the fridge.

She’s already sprawled out across the sofa in her tiny pink shorts with the hearts on them and that spaghetti strap tank top she sleeps in to tease me. Even though I’m sure it’s not really to tease me, it’s to tease me. I set her bowl of popcorn and soda on the coffee table next to her head and take to my favorite recliner, making sure to keep distance between us.

If she’s thinking about the kiss from earlier, the kiss I can’t get out of my mind, she’s not showing it for which I’m relieved, if not a bit disappointed. What if she doesn’t think the kiss registered on the same level I do?

Get it together. That’s exactly what you want.

Three movies in and I wake up to this soft zsuzsing noise that quickly becomes evident of Tally snoring. She looks sweet lying there. The quilt on the back of the couch, the same one I tucked her in with those horrible days after Tom’s death, I pull it back over her before turning off the TV and heading to bed.

My eyes blink open, and I swipe at the gritty sleep crusting the lids while I try to recapture the last of my dream. Me and Tal, blissfully naked. But the border to the dream state has been closed. Which means not only do I not get to finish playing with Tal, even if it’s in my mind, but I’m hornier than I’ve been in forever with very little options open to relieve it.

Hand it is.

Dammit.

Chapter Fourteen

Like a coward, to avoid dealing with Tally since every time I see her now, I picture her naked, I pack a few things and head to stay at Demetrius’ for a few days, leaving her some lame excuse. Jesse follows me back to my place where I parked the Rabbit in the driveway and tape a note to the windshield. I tell her staying at D’s place is because I have to water his plants and get the mail while he’s visiting Kelsey.

“What’s your deal, man?” Jesse asks. I’m a captive listener now that he’s driving me to my brother’s. “That’syourplace. You shouldn’t be running away from home at your age.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. So leave it.”

“I don’t know?” His chin dips as he eyeballs me. “What? You think I’m nothing more than sexy black hair and rippling abs?” Damn him for making me laugh today. I was hoping the laugh would be the end of it, but no. He keeps pressing. “You like this girl. Youlikeher, like her.” He wiggles his eyebrows. “Go get her.”

“Ican’t.”

“Dude, if you’ve been castrated I kind of want to know. There’s a story there.”

“Shut up.” I shove his shoulder, but he bursts out a loud laugh that fills the car.

“Seriously, if you’re rocking some epicene tendencies, I gotta call a TMI. Some things dudes, even friends, shouldn’t share.”

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