Page 56 of The True Love Experiment

“So give me a rating, who’s the top pick so far?”

“Probably Isaac. He was…” I pause for dramatic effect and give my head a shake to clear it. “He was so hot, Jess. And so interesting.”

“I seeeeeeeee.” She leans forward, eating this up. “And were there sparks? Fireworks? Bells ringing in the background?”

“Who knows. That’s up to the audience to decide, I guess.” If Jess senses the subtext there—that even after only the first round of dates I’m already considering I might not fall for one of these objectively fantastic Heroes because I can’t stop looking over their heads at the executive producer in the background—she doesn’t show it. She’s too busy living vicariously through my crazy dating adventures. Just like old times.

“So are we watching the first episode together tomorrow?”

“I just need to make sure that Connor wasn’t planning that I would watch it with him, but otherwise, yes.”

Jess’s eyes narrow. “Like, just the two of you?”

“No,” I say, but the word sounds uncertain, like I might really meanMaybe.

“Fizz,” she says in low warning.

“Well, maybe he was planning a thing!”

“Why would he plan to watch it just with you?”

“No, no, like—” I exhale, wincing. “Okay, I have something to tell you, but you absolutely cannot get mad at me.”

“With that kind of lead-up I make no such promises.”

“Then I won’t tell you.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.”

We stare at each other in a silent standoff until I blink away, casually inspecting my nail polish. Usually, the odds of us eachgiving in are evenly split, but given that I’m the one with the juicy information—and I know she’s spent the last eight hours doggedly running statistics on an enormous numbers thing—I’m confident I can win this one.

The silence of the room seems to hum with phantom sound. That spreadsheet must’ve been a doozy because she breaks much faster than I would have expected. “God, fine, just tell me.”

“Sunday night,” I say, leaning in, “the night before shooting started, Connor and I had our last joy excursion.”

“Date.”

“Excursion.We went to Torrey Pines to watch the bioluminescent waves.”

Herhmmmis suspicious. She knows exactly where this is going.

“Well, spoiler alert, we ended up kissing.”

Jess face-palms. “Fizzy.”

I point an accusatory finger. “The agreed-upon terms stated that you can’t get mad!” She drags her hand down her face, revealing a fake smile. “As I was saying, the kissing turned into making out and I was on his lap and—” I widen my eyes at her and lower my voice. “Jessica Marie, I am not positive because I did notseeit, but I think Connor might have the biggest penis of any man I’ve ever touched.”

Silence. Her expression flattens.

“Wait. I need wine for this.” She disappears for a minute and then returns, setting two glasses of red wine down on the low coffee table and sitting across from me. “I don’t want to encourage this, or for you to think I am somehow condoning it, but how big are we talking?”

I look behind me to make sure there are no impressionable ten-year-old ears listening in.

Jess quickly swallows a sip, shaking her head. “Juno’s at Nana and Pops’s house.”

Reassured we’re alone, I hold my index fingers an impressive—yet accurate—distance apart and then make a circle with the fingers of both hands to approximate girth. “Probably like this?”

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