Page 74 of Pink

SIXTEEN

“HEY, MR. It’s Not A Date,” Nessa said, all too joyfully, in Lev’s ear when she finally picked up his call. “What’s up?”

“You’re a shit. You know that, right?”

Nessa’s light laughter crackled in the phone’s speakers. “Am I?”

“Entirely.”

Truth was, Nessa would get far worse in the next minute after Lev asked for a favor. It wasn’t like he didn’t deserve it, though.

Leaning his lower back against the sink in the men’s washroom, he eyed the Out of Order sign on one of two stalls while he chewed over his next words. “Did you have plans tonight or anything—after I got back, I mean?”

“Uh …”

“Not for me,” he rushed to say. Sort of, he added silently. “I’m not asking if you wanna do something, I just—”

“It was a date, wasn’t it?”

Good God.

Lev swallowed his pride and muttered, grinning to himself, “It wasn’t … but it might have turned into that.”

“I knew it!”

“You are way too interested in my private life,” Lev said in a chuckle. “Which tells me you have none of your own, and you should probably fix that.”

“Probably, but who asked you?”

“Nobody, but you didn’t have to.”

“Mmhmm. I bet. So …” Nessa drawled out the word like she knew Lev was just biding his time until he finally spit out whatever he called for. “Did you need something?”

“Arely’s good, right?”

“Perfect. Still sleeping.”

“And you didn’t burn down the kitchen trying to cook, did you?”

“Fuck you, Lev.”

His laughter matched Nessa’s. It was only partly a joke. She had set fire to his stove when she once left a flammable cloth sitting too close to the induction burner. He couldn’t let her live it down, either.

“Joking aside,” he muttered, scrubbing a hand down his jaw, “would you mind staying later than planned? Maybe until early morning. I’ll be home in time to wake Arely up, no worries on that.”

He thought for sure Nessa would make another one of her comments. She loved to be right, after all. She also surprised him.

“Lev?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m glad the date is going well—you deserve some fun. All you do is work and take care of your daughter. It won’t hurt for you to also enjoy your life. And yes, I don’t mind staying here until you get back … whenever that is. Be safe, don’t bring home any nasty ST—”

“That’s enough of that. Thank you, Nessa.”

“I’m just saying!”

“Bye.”