Buckling my seatbelt, I crack a smile. “I did name my car, but no one’s ever asked before. Her name is Ripley, after Ellen Ripley from theAlienfranchise.”
“Hell yeah,” Oliver replies, buckling his own seatbelt. “That’s dope. Although, wouldn’t naming it Nostromo make more sense? After the ship, since it’s a car?”
“Hername is Ripley,” I reiterate. “Please respect her gender and her name.”
Oliver holds his hands up, then gently pats the dashboard. “My deepest apologies, Ripley. I was trying to show off myAlienknowledge to your driver.”
“Her driver knows exactly what you were doing,” I riposte, pressing the “start engine” button. “Now, do you want a ride to Publix or not?”
“Ooh, you’re taking me to Publix? How fancy!” Oliver teases, mimicking the motion of tucking hair behind his ear despite his hair being in a bun. “I hope I’m not underdressed.”
“I will drop you off at The Carter Center and make you walk back.”
“Fine, fine, I’ll behave,” Oliver vows. “Can I be the road trip DJ?”
I laugh. “For the seven-minute drive? Sure, knock yourself out.”
Grocery shopping with Oliver is quite a different experience from shopping with Nikki. For one thing, there’s far less pressure. I don’t worry about how Oliver will interpret the items I buy. He obviously feels the same way, tossing a giant bagof Doritos in the cart with the same enthusiasm as a hand of bananas.
Another major difference: without the prospect of sex to look forward to, there’s no sense of urgency while we shop. We don’t have anything else going on, so we take our time and enjoy being together. Even something as tedious as grocery shopping turns into an adventure of its own, and we have fun with it. Honestly, Oliver can make anything fun.
It’s kind of what makes our friendship so perfect.
After we’ve checked out, loaded the trunk, and returned to Ripley, Oliver excitedly resumes his playlist, and I bob my head to the music as I drive.
“Oh!” Oliver shouts, startling me.
“What?”
“I almost forgot! Theo’s older sister, Grace, is hosting a Halloween party at her house in Druid Hills, near Emory. It’ll be the Saturday before Halloween, so, what, the twenty-fifth, I think?”
I nod. “I think that’s right.”
“Yeah, you should come! Theo’s also inviting Max and Vimlesh, and I’m sure Celeste is invited, too. Grace is really cool for an older sister. She and Theo are pretty close—they’re both bi, actually, and she’s always been super supportive of him.”
“Aww, that’s sweet.”
“Yeah, plus she told Theo that she and her roommate will be providing alcohol and will let us drink as long as we stay the night and promise not to get too rowdy.”
I laugh. “That’s awfully nice of them to let a bunch of first-years drink their booze. I’m sure she won’t regret that later.”
Oliver hesitates. “Why would she regret it?”
“No reason,” I wave a hand dismissively. “Are you sure she’d be okay with you inviting me?”
“Of course! Theo said she’s cool with a crowd as long as we provide a head count as soon as possible.”
“Interesting.”
“You’re welcome to invite Nikki, too!”
I chew on my bottom lip as I consider it. I have a hunch that she’ll probably decline on principle, especially if the party will mostly consist of wasted first-years and sophomores. But Oliver doesn’t need to know that. “Yeah, that could be fun!”
“That reminds me,” Oliver continues. “What is Nikki even like? I feel like you never talk about her.”
Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, I use my other hand to run my fingers through my hair. “Oh! Well, I guess I’m just trying not to brag too much. Nikki’s great! She’s, like…really hot. Like, if you were attracted to people, you’d be shocked that someone who looks like her is with someone who looks like me.”
Oliver scoffs. “Okay, wow, that was offensive on like, three levels. First, just because I’m ace doesn’t mean I’m blind. Second, I wouldn't be shocked if an attractive person were with you because, third, you are hella attractive. You know that, right?”
