Page 16 of The Virgin Playboy

“I know you not talking,” Kaihautū interrupted. “The New Zealand special basically has tinned spaghetti on that bitch.”

“Okay, but is it any better than sunnyside up eggs on a friggin’ pizza?” I argued back.

“That would be a hell no for me.”

“But there’s bacon on both,” I made note. “Bacon makes everything taste better.”

Jaq, who had been sitting at the table, as far from me as I could allow, chimed in, bringing in her own unique take on the debate. “I used to be New York only, all day. But then I tried New Haven style pizza, and I don’t know. They give us a big run for our money.”

“I’ve never tried New Haven style pizza before,” I admitted to no one in particular.

“Damn, why you say it like that?” Avi leaned over the counter, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what he meant.

“Like what?”

“New Haven. It’s New Haven,” Avi corrected.

“That’s what I just said,” unable to defend myself without laughing.

“New Haven?” Kaihautū repeated, to the same dismissal I received.

“You can tell when someone isn’t from the New England, all that stress they put on New,” Avi joked.

“Well no shit, I’m like a nineteen-hour flight away. Probably why I haven’t been back home in years, that kind of travel back and forth and is really hard on your psyche,” I admitted.

Jacqueline stood, throwing her plate away as for all my efforts, I hadn’t managed to avoid eye contact with her forever. “It’s weird hearing you swear,” she admitted, though I’m sure she hadn’t meant it for everyone to hear considering neither of us were owning up to how intimately we’d known each other.

“Being around kids,” I dismissed, stoically. “Kaihautu’s aware I can get vulgar. We’ve had enough sleepovers to last a lifetime,” I joked.

“Anyone open to watching a movie? Or are we calling it a night to be bright and early for Noir Noise?” Yenory addressed the whole room.

“What kind of movie. Because if it don’t keep my attention like something crazy, like Fast 18, I don’t want it,” Carly joked.

“If it’s all good to you guys, I’m just going to retire for the night. I’m not used to dressing eclectic, so I wanted to get up early enough to do my festival makeup,” I avowed.

“I’m with Carly, pick the right movie and I’ll be up in the morning anyway, I didn’t come here to sleep,” Kaihautū boldly declared.

“Good night everyone,” as I disappeared toward our designated side of the house, planning to mindlessly play my guitar until sleep took me. But before I hibernated for the night, I ran to my room to grab all the stuff I’d need to have a quick shower, only my housemate had had the same thought.

Jacqueline and I bumped into each other despite all my efforts to avoid it. “Sorry, were you trying to get in here?”

“I was, but I’m sure there’s a second bathroom in here, I was just choosing this one because it was closer to mine,” I defended.

“You’re right, you go. I just liked the shower in this one,” Jacqueline tried to offer it back to me.

“I’m not going to argue for thirty minutes about having a shower. Especially since I don’t know the difference between the probably many baths and showers on the premises, so I’ll just take the one closest to your room, and we call it square.”

“As long as that’s okay with you.”

Honestly, I just wanted to treat the next two and a half days like any other day. And the longer I talked to Jaq, the more I’d remember all the things I liked about her, so if this got us out of each other’s hair faster, divide and conquer solved the issue.

So why did it time just right that as I was leaving the bathroom closest to where the ladies were staying, and we were passing each other in the hallway. Was I delusional in thinking something of it, to turn around and catch her secretly looking back? Yeah. Had to be coincidence. Because I shared a part of myself I’d never shared before, and it was too much for her. Jacqueline was like fire. And when you got too close, you just got burned.

***

The sleeping in did feel good for once, my long classes nearly dominated half my week, and it was so often so grueling, it never felt like I had a day off, since I’d be recovering from the last all nighter. I was looking forward to music I didn’t have to compose or research, psychoanalyze or tear apart for the sake of a grade. Punk really wasn’t my area of expertise, but I was always open to try new things, and given it’d be in celebration of celebrating Black music, I had an open mind and ears for music that challenged me.

Kaihautū was lucky in that way, because his personal style was already pretty alternative, so he could just put on what was in his closet and look naturally put together at an event celebrating extravagant style. I was pretty much a blank canvas, so it took a bit more effort for me. Not that I wanted to bring note to it, but I grew up with a lot more money than Kaihautū, so I never thought about name brands or color schemes, or choosing clothes to be seen as much as functional.