Page 22 of Green
“There’s a fine line between chill hostess and shit-faced tense as fuck hostess.”
“There’s a fine line between thoughtful friend and judgmental ass.”
“Noted.”
She sighed and daintily sipped her beer while keeping her eyes on me. “Would it be rude if we put up a sign by the door telling people that they’ll have to leave at ten?”
“A little. Maybe I’ll just shut off the music and turn on all the overhead lights.”
“Ugh. I don’t think we’ve ever had all the overhead lights on.” She shuddered. She cares a lot about the lighting in a room.
Now I was starting to wonder if I was ready to seeherin a new light.
There was so much I knew about this girl and apparently there was just as much or more to her that I didn’t know. For instance—I knew thatThe Departedwas one of our favorite movies (because I made her watch it the first time), and that when she watched it she got inexplicably horny. I knew this because after the first time we watched it on movie night, she pretended to be super tired when it was over, retreated to her room, Facetimed her boyfriend and (somewhat quietly) got off. It happened both times when we watched it after that. I didn’t know if it was Leonardo DiCaprio that did it for her, or maybe it was just that it’s such a testosterone-fueled movie. Maybe it was the Boston accents that turned her on? It was not the kind of thing I asked her about, because that’s a sex thing. We didn’t talk about sex.
So far.
But when I popped myDeparteddisc into the Blu-ray player for the shy folk (I always have a movie playing at parties for shy people to focus on), she immediately insisted that I put on “literally anything else.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know—it’s just not the right vibe.”
“Since when? It’s perfect.”
“Oh my God just do this one thing for me please?”
Did she not want to get turned on because she was anticipating being turned on by someone else at the party and didn’t want to get inappropriately aroused at a respectable gathering? I needed to know. And that’s when our honored guests knocked on the sliding door to the back deck, so I couldn’t keep asking her “why not?”
I put onWhen Harry Met Sallyinstead. I didn’t put any thought into it. I just like the part when Meg Ryan pretends to have an orgasm in the deli. Everyone on earth likes that part.
Gemma raised her arms up in the air and rushed over to give Chloe a hug and Chloe exclaimed: “Oh shit you look hot—he’s going to get a boner as soon as he lays eyes on you.” Gemma shushed her and Chloe covered her mouth.
I refrained from asking who “he” was.
Because I was not some jealous little pussy.
But seriously.Who the fuck is “he” and why was my best friend letting his eyes lay on her?!
“Hey, Walker,” Ethan wagged his eyebrows at me. “You look nice too. I’ve got a boner just from looking at you.”
“The place looks great—wow look at all this food!” Chloe wandered around, alternately smiling and pouting. “Crap. I’m going to miss this house.”
“I miss you already,” Gemma whined.
“Shall we put on some music?” Ethan asked. “What movie is this? Is this Harry and Sally?” He cocked his head to the side. “Interesting.”
“Why?”
“Nothing. Let’s put on that Alabama Shakes album I gave you.”
“I was going to put on Sinatra.”
“That’s more of an end of the night thing.”
“Whatever you say.”
He lowered his voice. “Hey, did you invite a date for tonight?”
