Page 153 of Pick-Up
“Sasha,” he says. “Are you bored?” Like I am a child who cannot sit still. Like he might offer me his phone to play on.
I get it. He is not wrong. I am oddly chatty. But I have never been less bored.
On the contrary, I am giddy. Awake. Abuzz. I’m just so blissed out—by Ethan’s proximity, his fingers woven through mine, the freedom of this night, the fact that I can kiss (or even bone!) him whenever I want—that I’m having trouble settling in.
It is still so new. And yet I feel like I’ve known him forever.
“I’m not bored at all!” I say. “This is incredible.”
“Good.”
“Can I just tell you one last thing?”
“Of course. But why are you whispering? We’re the only people here!”
“I know. But I don’t want to be disrespectful.”
“To the recording?”
“Yes. And to the little green men.”
“Oh boy.” I can feel him roll his eyes, but smile too.
“One last question, and then I promise to pay attention,” I say.
“Yes?”
“Where are you taking me after this?”
“Sasha!” he groans. “We’ve been over this. What part ofsurprisedon’t you understand?”
“The part that involves me being insanely hungry and you taking me to some super-chic hipster bar where the only snack is dried shiso leaves.”
“Do you really think I would miss the chance to watch you demolish the best burger in New York?”
“Aw,” I say, all warm inside. “You reallyknowme.”
He squeezes my hand, and fireworks ignite inside me. Blinding light. Crackling waterfalls of shimmer. Circular explosions of red, blue, purple and green that pop up as if out of nowhere, to gasps and sighs.
I tingle from head to toe.
“Hey, Ethan?”
“Yes?” he says, all patience. And I give him big props for not telling me to shut up.
“If no one else is here, why do I have to sit in my own seat?”
He laughs, softly. “Now,thatis a good question.” He pulls me onto his lap, where I curl up and burrow into him. My head in the crook of his grass-scented neck.
He wraps his arms around me and pulls me close.
I rise and fall with his breath.
I will stay here for infinity and a day, if they let me. No matter how much I want that burger.
“The moon is four hundred times smaller than the sun, but four hundred times closer to Earth,” the voice explains. “It appears bright, but is actually dark on the surface.”
It’s all about perspective.
