Page 169 of Girls Will Be Girls
I look at his bags and at the flowers in my hand. “How did you know I liked daisies?” I ask like it matters whenhe’s here.
“I told you, I can read you like a book.”
I look back up at him and smile. “You’re here.”
“I’m here.” He grins.
“I haven’t even told Frida yet.” I laugh.
“Shit.” He laughs back. “I can stay somewhere else. It’s no problem.”
“Just wait here, and I’ll go talk to her,” I say. “I don’t want her to feel like she has to say yes, you know?”
“Smart.” He nods.
I kiss him quickly and then run up to the apartment. When I open the door, it opens right onto Frida on the floor.
“Holy shit,” I shout. “What are you doing by the door?” I laugh.
I edge it further open and notice that she’s pulled out a whole pile of things from the entry wardrobe.
“Hello, my sweet.” She says. “Do you think Lou needs more space than this for his stuff?” She gestures at the empty shelf.
“Um, I’m sorry?” I say, feeling like I walked into theTwilight Zone.
“Lou.” She repeats. “Will he need more room?”
“But how did you- what are you-” I stutter. “Why are you clearing room for him?”
She looks at me like I’m dumb. “Well, I assume he’s moving in, right?” She says. “He quit his job, so surely you asked him to come to New York, right?”
“Um, yeah.”
“So? He’s moving here, right?”
I shake my head. “He doesn’t have to.”
She laughs and continues arranging the wardrobe. “What are you talking about? Of course, he does. The guy is unemployed, Lou Lou. You can’t ask him to come here and thennotlet him move in.”
“And you’re okay with this?” I ask, still shocked.
“Of course.” She finally turns to smile at me. “I like Lou, and I’m happy that you’re happy.”
“You’re too good to me.” I launch myself at her and wrap around her.
She holds onto me like I’m going to fall. “Why exactly?”
I practically shout into her shoulder, my voice muffled. “Because I already told him he could move in, and I didn’t even ask you. You just knew. You said yes, just like that. I’m being such a bad friend, choosing a boy over you. I’m not being a girl’s girl right now, and I should be. I should have asked you before I even suggested it to him.”
“Oookay.” She pulls me off of her to look at me.
I sit there slumped in front of her as she holds me up by my shoulders.
“You are being very hard on yourself right now, and I don’t appreciate that.”
“I’m a bad friend.”
“Fuck off, with that shit.” She says.
