Page 83 of My Debacle with De Lorenzo

“My biceps just grew two inches a few minutes ago, and now you want me to sing this song? It’s gonna reverse all my gains.”

She stares at me like she knows I’m about to crack. “Deep down, you know you want to sing it, too.”

Oh wooooah-o-o

As soon as the lyrics drop, I decide to indulge her and give it my all. “You know you love me...”

High-pitched giggles erupt even louder than the song. “I knew it. I fricken knew it! Goddamn Belieber!”

I don’t care that I’m making an ass out of myself. It’s worth it to hear her laugh like that. I keep singing as I back out of the parking bay and head onto the street. I hold nothing back. She joins in at the chorus and we sing along at the top of our lungs like a bunch of dorks. The skills I’ve learned from Eminem come into play because I absolutely nail that Ludacris rap, and we improv it like pros.

“And you know who got me dazin’?” I ask in time with the lyrics.

“Is it me?”

“And you know who’s so amazin’?”

“I think it’s still me.” She fakes a pout. “And now your heart is breaking?”

“Yeah...so, we just keep on sayin’...”

“Baby, baby, babyo-o-o-h.”

We go butt-wild for the next chorus, shimmying shoulders and singing with an invisible mic. Hardcore shit like that. She even opens the sunroof, stands up on the seat, and shouts out the rest of the lyrics as the wind whips through her hair. Other motorists and pedestrians look at her like she’s crazy, but she doesn’t care.

I don’t know how she does it, but she can turn the most mundane activity into something different and exciting. Yet this wasn’t just something mundane. Going back to that grocery store was overwhelming for me. I was highly strung going in, but I was completely focused on her coming out. She just held me down in the moment. My mind didn’t get tangled in the past. I didn’t think about anything except her. She achieved her goal and gave me a different association with the place I hate the most.

She sits down again when the song ends. “I have a lot of fun with you.”

“Me too.” I lean my upper body over a little to her side. “Lay one on me.” I tap my forefinger on my cheek. “Right here.” I wait for her to kiss my cheek. “Thank you. You’ve made this a very different experience for me, something I’ll never forget.”

“You’re welcome. Now, let’s keep the momentum going. How about some Taylor Swift, huh?”

“No! That’s a guaranteed way to lose my biceps and my self-respect at the same time. The answer’s no.”

She ignores me and playsShake it offnext. “Sing it with me, De Lorenzo!”

She puts in so much effort that I can’t help but join her and we do this very bad karaoke until we get back to my house, only taking a break to share the chocolate shake.

“Hey, Oscar,” I greet the security guard as I pull into the driveway.

Bella hops out of the car before I even shift into park, looking around in awe. “You live here? Wow! This place is amazing. If you don’t give me the D soon, I might consider using you for your money.”

I walk around the car to meet her at the foot of the stairs. “Money comes second on your list of priorities?”

“Have you looked in the mirror lately?” Her hand sweeps a path down my torso. “Everythingcomes second to this.” She loops her arms around my neck. “So, are you going to give me a tour?”

“Sure.” I take her hand, lead her inside, and introduce her to our housekeeper, Mable. They chat for a minute before I wave my hand to show her the front entrance. “This is the foyer...and this is the staircase.” We go up the stairs pretty quick because I’m taking them two at a time. “These are the bedrooms. That’s my parent’s room.” I point to the one on the far right. “This one is my sister’s.” I point to the one a little to the left of the staircase. I turn left and take impatient strides down the long corridor to the room isolated at the very end, walking so fast she has trouble keeping up. “And this one...is my bedroom.”

“Oh, wow!” She looks around, taking in the details. The desk and bookshelf are directly in front of the door. My gym area is to the right of the staircase, my closets and bathroom on the left. “Your room is more like an apartment. Can I go up?”

I smirk. “Yeah. That’s kinda the reason why I brought you here.”

I shut the door, then follow her up the wooden stairs to the loft area. I try to be as patient as possible as she makes herself comfortable in my space. She kicks her shoes off and tosses herself onto the plush beige sofa in front of the TV.

“Is this couch made with memory foam? It’s amazing. I don’t ever want to get off it.”

I just nod.

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