I smooth my fingers across the countertop. “Do you want me to?”
“I don’t want you to ever leave. Wait, was that creepy? It sounded a little creepy coming out.”
“It was super creepy,” I say with a laugh. “And I loved it.I love you.” Emotion blasts through me, and I almost need to sit down. “I…I feel like I should encourage you to stay in San Francisco.”
“I was worried you might say that.Pleasedon’t. I don’t like San Francisco. It’s always windy and overcast, and it costs twelve bucks to buy a latte.”
“I think coffee’s just expensive now.”
“Fuck coffee. I want to be in Asheville. Withyou, Nora. I already told you that.”
I do sit, practically stumbling into a chair at the kitchen table.
“But the foundation… It sounds amazing.”
“It will be. I’m going to work remotely and fly out to California a few times a year. That was my agreement with Kenji. And my agreement with you was dog-sitting in exchange for fake dating. But it turns out I’d like to revise it. I’m going to take you out for a real date when I get back, Nora. The best date two people have ever been on. And it’s not going to be in Apple Ridge.”
Tears fill my eyes. “I miss you. Isn’t that stupid? I saw you last night, and I already miss you.”
“I miss you too.”
“Now, send me a selfie as proof of life.”
“Nope, you definitely don’t want to see that. You’ll never let me leave the state if you do.”
“If you send me a selfie of your jacked-up face, I’ll send you a photo of my tits.”
He’s quiet for two seconds, and then my phone buzzes.
I pull it away from my face, laughing, because he obviously sent me a photo. But my laughter dies away when I see the bandaged stitches around his eye, which is red and bloodshot.
“A deal’s a deal, Nora,” he says, his voice tinny, since the speaker is no longer pressed to my ear.
I push my shirt and bra down and take a selfie, then send it through.
“Oh, thank God,” he says as I press the phone to my ear. “This’ll get me through at least one day of my trip.”
“I’ll send you one every day. But you have to keep sending me proof of your healing face.”
“Do you want one of my dick too?” he asks, a smile in his voice. “I’ve never sent anyone a dick pic before.”
“Now, I definitely want one.”
“Goodbye, Nora. I’ll text you when I get there.”
“Will you text me the dick pic when you get there?”
“Definitely. Thank you for staying with Cookie. I like thinking of you two together.”
“Promise me something,” I tell him, my voice shaking. “Promise me you’ll think about staying. If it’s the right thing for you, I want you to do it. I don’t want to be the anchor holding you back.”
“I love you too, Nora.”
I smile even though tears are trying to escape my eyes. “Promise me.”
“I’ll think about it, sure, and then I’ll stop thinking about it and come home to you. So I’m not going to say goodbye. I’m going to say see you later. See you later, Nora.”
And with that, he hangs up.
