“I guess Chris is inviting us all over to her place?” Connie said like a question.
I met the girls outside the hotel in the valet parking area, and Lilli sat in the back while Connie rode shot gun.
“Please tell Eric what you just told me,” Connie said, resting her hand briefly on my bicep. I felt the loss of her touch as soon as she pulled away.
“I told her she was great inThe Way Out,” Lilli spilled, like she could talk about this for hours and yet couldn’t get it all out fast enough. “And then she sent me some of her favorite clips of me singing from my social media page, and now we’re going to hang out.”
“So, you both stalked each other online?”
“That’s what I said!” Connie laughed, and in the rearview, I noticed Lilli blush. “You guys are practically made for each other.”
I didn’t know about that necessarily. A person online and over text could be so different than the person in real life. I might have agreed if they had met in person first, but I didn’t know.
“Damn, she’s hot,” Connie said as Lilli showed her a picture. “But this is so staged.”
“She said she just woke up,” Lilli argued.
“But who sleeps in a sports bra and gold chain necklace? That sounds uncomfortable.”
Lilli ignored Connie and showed me the phone, and I glanced at it as we stopped at a red light.
“Yeah, that’s Chris,” I confirmed.
“She’s so butch!” Lilli exclaimed. “She was so femme in the short film. Get you a woman who can do both.” Then, shepoked at Connie. “Or don’t. You leave this one to me and hang out with your boy.”
Connie’s blush was so adorable, I wanted to put my hand against her cheek to feel the warmth. I was so excited to spend more time with her.
We arrived at Chris’ house with Lilli practically buzzing in the back seat. Chris let us in wearing a loose-fitting, white button-up shirt, actively rolling up the sleeves as she opens the door. Her black hair is styled back with some parts hanging in front in a very K-pop fashion, her black pants and signature gold chain on.
“Hey.” Her husky voice was casual, in a cool-girl-chic type of way. Lilli was in cool girl mode too, but I saw her fangirling in the car. “Come on in.”
“Can I use your bathroom?” Lilli asked immediately.
“Sure thing. I have my own in my room. I’ll show you.” And just like that, Chris and Lilli disappeared as Connie and I sat on the couch in the living room.
“It seems like a big house,” Connie said as we turned on a show on the TV. After the next episode started, Connie and I looked over towards the direction where Lilli and Chris went off to.
“I assume they’re getting along in there,” I said. Connie laughed so hard she snorted, and I realized the implication of what I said. “Not what I meant,” I laughed.
“Lilli is probably asking about everything in her room. I hope Chris likes talking about herself.”
“Or maybe it’s Chris asking Lilli everything,” I suggested.
We were quiet, trying to listen. “I can hear talking for sure,” Connie said.
I lowered the volume of the television and turned on the couch to face her. “I’d like to know more about you, Connie.”
She blushed again and looked down. “Oh?” Is that so hard for her to believe?
“Are you bashful or shy?” I wondered aloud.
“I’m just… flattered but also nervous.”
I thought about that for a second; I was nervous too. “That’s okay. I can go first. Ask me anything.”
She looked over at the television, but she was thinking; I could almost see the question forming in her mind. “Ocean or space?”
“Space,” I said, the answer instinctual. “The final frontier and what not.”
