Page 108 of Girls Will Be Girls
“Is he playing it cool?” Frida asks. “He loses so many brownie points if he is.”
“I think he’s just busy.” I defend Lou. “He sent me like six texts before I was even awake, so definitely not playing it cool.” I laugh.
“What did he say?” Frida asks.
I scroll over to our messages and read them out to them. When I finish the last one, I’m met with a prolonged silence. I check my phone to make sure the call didn’t cut out.
“Guys?” I ask.
“Aww.” Dylan starts. “He is adorable.” She gushes.
“He is so disgustingly cute,” Frida adds.
“He can stay,” Dylan says.
“He loves you so much, my god,” Frida says like it’s fact.
“What?” I scoff. “All he said was he wishes he was here. That could be sex coded.”
“Of course, it’s sex coded!” Frida yells. “But cutesy, exclusive, making love sex code,” Frida says. “Dylan, you two are all nauseatingly in love. Explain it to her.”
“I don’t think we’re nauseating.” Elijah defends from a distance.
“We are a little,” Dylan says muffled. “But yes.” Her voice gets clearer again. “He is so into you. I am obsessed.”
My phone vibrates in my hand, and my pulse rockets like I’ve just been dropped ten feet.
“He just texted me,” I say, a little frazzled.
“What does it say? What does it say?” They both echo loudly.
Lou (fiancé):
Are you opposed to our date starting at lunch? I don’t think I can physically wait any longer than that to see you again.
My stomach flips, butterflies dance all the way up into my chest, and my smile spreads, but it will never feel wide enough. My whole body reacts to him wanting me. Him missing me.
I am utterly, desperately, pathetically into him.
“Well?” Frida screeches through the phone.
“What did he say?” Dylan adds.
I stare at the message, smiling like I can’t bear not to.
I shake my head. “It’s nothing.”
I keep this one for myself. I want all of him for myself.
“It was disgustingly cute, wasn’t it?” Frida asks.
“He’s so adorable.” Dylan coos.
18
NEVER HAS A BOY UNDERSTOOD GIRL DINNER SO PERFECTLY
It’sstrange how embracing girlhood feels very much like healing some inner child who didn’t get to do the things they secretly wanted to do before. I remember always hearing about girls making up dances with their cousins or friends and then performing them for everyone.
