Fuck.
That was a mistake.
Frederick and I close up the ice cream shop that night, and the anger I've been ignoring all day reaches a boiling point. Slamming down the drawer of the cash register, Frederick looks up at me in shock.
"Whoa, man. What's up?"
"You know how I met Ada's friend? The one who is making me that glass piece?"
"Yeah, Lorna."
"Well, she and I kind of had a connection."
"No shit," Frederick says, grinning.
"Yes. Well, we kissed today."
"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. You kissed her?" He says, slapping me on the shoulder.
"Yes. I had my first kiss today, but that's not the point," I say, dismissing his celebratory nature.
"What's up? You seem pissed."
"Well, I stupidly told her I was a virgin, and her reaction was shitty."
"Oh, man. I'm sorry. Did you tell her why?"
"No. I said there was a story and stuff, but that's not really the point. She seemed really freaked out by it. Actually, I felt like she treated me like a weirdo."
"I'm sorry, man. I don't know her as well as Ada, of course, but she's always seemed pretty cool to me. Maybe she was just in shock?" He suggests with a shrug, adding, "But, anyway, it wasn't stupid of you to tell her. Good for you for being up front about it."
Once we are finished with the closing routine, we lock up the back, and I hop into my truck, taking a deep breath as I turn on the heat.
Goddamn. That kiss was magical.
Fuck.
6
Lorna
Snow falls outside as I sit across from my best friend at Mermaid Tears Wine Bar on Main Street.
"Really? He said he was a virgin?" Ada says.
"So you didn't know?"
"He's Frederick's friend and work partner, but it's not like my husband tells me all of his secrets," she says, sipping the glass of syrah in front of her.
"I was just so shocked when he told me. He's so incredibly hot! I just didn't expect it." Letting out a sigh, I add, "And I think I kind of acted like an asshole."
"I seriously doubt that."
"Well, I don't think I acted as gracefully as I should have. He looked kind of hurt by my reaction."
We sit there for a beat, then I say, "I just don't get how someone so good-looking would be a virgin at almost 50."
"Well, I do know he has his purple heart. And I know that he was only in the Army for maybe a few years? So he obviously was injured in some sort of enemy combat situation," she says, looking out the window at the snow.
