Page 46 of The Hookup Situation

I grin because he’s spot on. “Good job.”

He gives a little “Whoo!” that I find way too cute, and I’m grinning.

“There’s one more, though, and it’s notThe Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

“Ooh, tell me.”

“Dirty Dancing.”

“I’ve never seen that.”

“Oh my god, who raised you?”

He laughs. “I’ll watch it, I promise.” And for some reason, that means a lot to me. Especially because I know he will.

“But I think you have to take back your little barb about me liking old movies because I’m old, because that movie is way more of a classic thanRemember the Titans.”

I laugh. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Okay, now I’ll go. Favorite tradition? Or childhood memory?”

My chest tightens and I swallow. “My parents aren’t really big on tradition.” Other than working holidays. I do have one childhood memory that stands out, though that’s actually a result of my parents being workaholics, too. “In elementary school I had a friend who would invite me to go to the county fair with them every year, and on camping trips, and that was fun. What about you?”

When he speaks I can tell how excited he is, and I’m smiling despite the twinge of jealousy I feel. “We have this hill by our house that we go to and sled down every year. It’s like, freaking huge, and we all have to convince my mom to go down it because she never wants to.” He chuckles. “And then we come home and make hot chocolate and eat Mom’s cookies, and my brothers and I would play video games or board games. It was just really cozy. It’s not the same without Phoenix but we still try to enjoy it every year.”

“That sounds really nice,” I admit. “I’m sure Phoenix would want you to keep that tradition alive.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he would, too.”

“What was he like? Phoenix?”

He takes a breath. “He was a caretaker, and a giver. Always looking out for me and Paris, even though he was the one with epilepsy. He was an athlete, too. I was good at sports, but Phoenix, man, he was on a whole other level. Never let his disability control him. He was tough, a fighter, but really kind and gentle, too. Paris is the sarcastic smart mouth and academic of the family. Kid gets good grades without even trying. It’s disgusting, and so unfair.”

I laugh a little. “And what does that make you, if he’s the academic and Phoenix was the athlete?”

“I’m the pretty one,” he says, and I laugh, mostly because I know there’s so much more to him than his looks. He embodies all of the things he’s telling me his brothers do. He’s kind, intelligent, funny, and talented. He might not breeze through school like his brother but he has to be smart to be going into pre-med.

We talk for over an hour, sharing more of our favorites. We talk more about him and his family. He asks what plays I was in in junior high and high school and it’s nice to share those experiences, too. And I realize I do have more fond memories of my childhood, even if they don't involve my parents.

He asks when I started singing and acting and I tell him about putting on shows for my stuffed animals as a kid, which he tells me is adorable.

“I should let you go,” he says eventually, his voice sleepy and soft. It makes me want to kiss his perfect lips.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I murmur.

He sighs. “God, you really do sound so good over the phone.”

“Thanks for talking, beautiful.”

“Any time. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, doll.”

PRESTON

Me: What's your apartment number?

Tinkerbell: Why?

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