Page 28 of Cocky Nerd
She laughs and punches my arm. “I am hungry. Damnyou.”
“You should be able to find something at the house. I gave Gracia a list of your favorite breakfast and snack fooditems.”
She cocks her head to one side. “Oh yeah, likewhat?”
“All of your smoothie ingredients, for smoothies both protein and green, brown organic free-run eggs, organic turkey bacon, gluten-free waffles, gluten-free high fiber muffins, organic dark maple syrup, organic almonds, organic almond milk, organic gluten-free pumpkin and flax cereal, organic French roast coffee, Irish butter, sprouted organic grain bread, Red Vines, Green & Black milk chocolate with almonds and white chocolate, organic powdered cacao, turmeric powder, cinnamon and raw honey for your weird yellow warm nut milk drink…organic mint chocolate chip ice cream, organic plain kettle chips…Did I forget anything?” When I look over at her, she appears to be dumbfounded and it feels verysatisfying.
She clears her throat. “What kind ofcinnamon?”
“Ceylon. Both powder and stickform.”
She blinks her eyes once, then looks down at her hands. “I sound like such apig.”
“With exquisite taste. I’m sure you won’t eat all of it atonce.”
I feel my phone vibrate and have to sit on my hands to refrain from checkingit.
“I can’t believe you remember allthat.”
“It’s just a shoppinglist.”
“I remember you like my Mom’s zucchini banana bread. Or at least you said youdid.”
That makes me smile. It’s not a list, but it’senough.
She reaches for my arm and pulls the hand that’s closest to her out from under my bottom. She brings it to her lap and holds it tentatively between her hands, like a small domesticated animal that might biteher.
“Do you remember the time I sprinkled Cayenne Pepper on your RedVines?”
I laugh. “I remember everything you ever said and did around me,Olivia.”
She looks up at me. “You mean you remember everything everyone ever says anddoes?”
“No. I have a selective memory. I try not to retain any information I don’tneed.”
Her eyelashes flutter. Her hands close in on mine a little tighter. She is flattered by this statement, but I can see that she is about to challenge me anyway. And that is why I like her. “Aren’t you worried you aren’t creating as many new neural pathways as you could if you don’t try to learn newthings?”
I drag my free index finger from the V that forms between her own thumb and index finger, all the way up her arm to her shoulder, across her collarbone. “I’d rather form neural pathways learning new things aboutyou.”
She shivers and catches her breath. I’ve said the right thing, the thing she didn’t expect. She grabs that hand with both of hers and draws it down, over her heart. I can feel it beating. She’s looking at me with an expression of mild astonishment and seduction. She starts to push my hand, slowly, further under the scoop neck of herdress.
I glance over at the rearview mirror and catch Richard’s bulging eyes reflected in it, before they shift back to the roadahead.
I lean in and whisper in her ear: “Have I done my fifteen percent for the dayyet?”
She rolls her eyes and pushes my hand away. I ruined the moment. She expected me to. I did it on purpose. I’m not going to have sex with her in the back of my car while Richard is driving. He’d crash the car and the night would be ruined. I have loftier goals for our first time together, so it’s worth sacrificing themoment.
I put my hand back in her lap. “I like yourhands.”
She puts her hands over mine, keeping it in place, undercontrol.
“Just to be clear,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “I am open to the full-on girlfriend experience while we’re together. If you know what Imean.”
“I do know what you mean, thank you for being clear.”Booyah.“All in goodtime.”
I don’t even think about checking my phone for the rest of the drivehome.
The neighborhoodI bought my house in isn’t considered fancy, but it’s very nice and a highly sought-after location. Olivia has been looking out the window with more curiosity than anxiety, since we started in on the side streets. I watch her face as Richard slows down in the cul de sac and signals before turning into thedriveway.
