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His phone was ringing.
Essence appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. “That’s you.”
“My phone is in my jeans.” He climbed out of bed, found his pants, went through his pockets, and pulled it out. He squinted at the screen. What the fuck? He answered the phone. “Hello?”
It was a butt dial. Had to be a butt dial.
“Oh, tangles and briars, Decker, you’re the only person awake!” said the voice on the other end of the phone.
“Larissa, you really are calling me in the middle of the night on a Friday,” said Decker.
Essence started. Larissa? she mouthed at him.
He made a confused face at her.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” said Larissa on the phone. “Seriously, you are not the first person I tried. I’m… oh, briars, fuck.”
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m locked out of my house,” she said with a little moan.
“Oh, shit,” he said. “Is there a window or a spare key? Someone has a spare key, right?”
“Um? You might?”
“Me?” He slapped a hand against his chest. “No way. I don’t think so.”
“I did, I gave you one,” said Larissa.
“You did not,” he said. “We barely dated. We were together for, like, three weeks.”
“Three months, you asshole,” said Larissa. “And I still have your key, which is how I know that we didn’t unexchange them.”
“You have my key,” said Decker slowly. “I gave you a key?” He had no memory of this, but he had only vague memories of dating Larissa. He’d done it primarily because Essence was with Zebedee at the time, and he’d been jealous. He’d thought that if he dated someone, too, maybe it would make Essence jealous or something. It hadn’t really worked, and he’d ended it with Larissa. Or she’d ended it with him?
He couldn’t remember.
It ended, anyway.
“You definitely gave me a key,” said Larissa. “Can you take a picture of your keychain with all your keys spread out and I’ll tell you if one of them is mine?”
“Uh, I mean, I guess so. Hold on.” He found his keys, spread them out and snapped a picture. He sent it to Larissa.
“Thanks,” she said. “Oh, this picture is not of your house. You’re not home?”
“Larissa, seriously?”
“Fine, whatever, right, none of my business. Anyway, that’s totally my key.”
“Well, the thing is, I may not be sober enough to drive to you. And anyway, my car is parked like four blocks from here—”
“I’ll come to you,” said Larissa.
He went stiff. “Okay, hold on.” He tucked the phone into his chest. “Uh, Larissa wants to come here for her key.”
“Oh,” said Essence. “Oh, okay. Well…”
“I could tell her, like, somewhere else? I mean, you think the Meck’s still open? I’ll just meet her at the Meck.”
