Page 4 of Girls Will Be Girls
He’s at least a head taller than me, and it puts me at the perfect height to ogle his chest and biceps hugging that crispwhite t-shirt. I can’t help but imagine what it would look like ifhiswas also soaked through.
I stumble my eyes back to his face and feel the liquid seeping further through my shirt and streaming down my stomach.
“I- It’s fine.“ I adjust my arms over myself.
“It’s really not.” He says. “I feel so bad. You can be angry at me, really.”
“I’m not angry.”
He nods at me seriously. “Please. Be angry, I deserve it.”
“Really?”
“Please.” He says.
“What do you want me to say?” I look around, trying to think of something mean to say to this stranger. “Lucky it was cold?”
He laughs. “That’s not angry, just optimistic.”
I shrug. “I curse myself for wearing white?” I basically ask him.
“Wow, you’re terrible at this.” He grins. “Come on, we’re in New York. Call me something. Tell me I’m an ass.”
“What?” I laugh.
He nods as if telling me to go on.
I oblige. “You’re an ass?”
“Thank you.” He sighs dramatically in relief.
“Feel better?” I mock.
“Extremely.” He grins again. “Thank you for letting me make this all about me and easing my guilt.”
The way he keeps smiling at me, with this charming boyish grin, forces another small laugh out of me.
“You really have no anger in there you wanna launch at me?” He asks.
“Not really.” I laugh a little nervously.
“Okay.” He nods. “Then can I please buy you a new shirt? Or give you mine?”
“It’s f-”
“Don’t say it’s fine.” He warns.
“It is though. It doesn’t matter.” I look at the coffee in his hand. “Like I said, at least it wasn’t hot.”
“I guess.” He laughs again, lifting the coffee cup in his hand before his eyes settle on it. “Your name’s Lou?”
“Yes,” I say. “Well, Louisa. But people call me Lou sometimes.”
He tips the cup. “I think maybe you have my coffee.”
“What?”
“I’m Lou.” He stretches his free hand to me. “Lou Duhl.”
