Page 58 of All Our Almosts

“He doesn’t…” I start to explain, but then back up. “He was just upset. He didn’t mean it. He doesn’t see me that way.” I glance down at my hands as I say it, trying not to remember how they felt running through his hair, pulling him against me.

“What do you mean? He just kissed you. Of course he sees you that way.”

“I know! I mean… for a second I thought…” I shake my head to reorder my warring thoughts. “Look, one kiss doesn’t have to mean anything. I think emotions were high after last night and we were both confused and possibly generally horny. I mean, the second we stopped kissing and actually had to face each other again… you should have seen the way he ran out of here. He literally told me it shouldn’t have happened and then he left. I don’t think I can deal with another rejection like that, especially from him.”

He sighs. “Okay, but you don’t know—”

A buzzing sound cuts him off, and I pull my phone out of my back pocket.

“Hang on, Lia’s calling.” I answer and throw her on speaker. “Hey Li—”

“ANDY KISSED YOU? WHAT THE FUCK!”

Andy’s voice immediately follows, like he’s yelling from somewhere in the background. “Lia, stop! Jesus—Sophie, I’m so sorry about this.”

“You’re together?” I ask, my face burning at about a billion degrees.

Nolan pulls my outstretched palm towards him, leaning directly over the phone. “Andy, man, I’m so happy for—”

“Nolan, shut the fuck up right now,” Andy barks, cutting him off. “I’m serious. Shut up.”

“He’s at my café show,” Lia explains. “He just showed up. So does this mean you’re dating now?”

“For fuck’s sake,” Andy says in the distance. “No, we’re not dating now.”

"Then you two can’t just start kissing each other! It’s going to mess up the NASA dynamic.”

“Guys—” I try to cut in, but I’m bulldozed as Nolan fully snatches the phone from my hand.

“Lia, grow up. This isn’t about you.”

“Grow up? GROW UP? Andy and Sophie just frenched like horny 16-year-olds and you’re telling me to grow up?”

“Can we please not make this a group discussion?” I beg, but no one is listening.

“I’m going to murder you,” Andy’s voice threatens. “You’re dead in the ground.”

“You murder me and you’ll have the Italian mob on your ass.”

“Stop saying that. Our family isn’t in the mob.”

“What did it mean?” Lia screams into the receiver. “What does it mean for NASA? Will things ever be normal again?”

“It didn’t mean anything,” Andy insists.

“Bro, come on, you don’t mean that—”

“NOLAN,” he shouts. “I’m fucking serious, man.”

I grab the phone back from Nolan. “Guys! Can Andy and I please talk about this alone before we present our case to the Supreme Court?”

“Sure,” Lia says, all bite. “You talk about it. But I will not have you two messing up my friend group. Keep it in your pants unless you’re gonna fucking marry each other. Got it?”

I sigh. “Yeah. Got it.”

“If you think you’re still my friend after this, Lia, you’re out of your fu—”

Then the call cuts off.