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I chuckled.
“Is it show tunes?” she asked. “Electronic dance music? The soundtrack for Frozen—”
“Hey, the soundtrack for Frozen was excellent.”
“So it’s that.”
“What’s in your playlist?” I asked. “Show me your phone.”
“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
“Fine,” I said.
“Fine.”
We both keyed in our passwords and then handed them over.
We went quiet studying each other’s list.
“It is show tunes,” she said.
“So?”
“I’m half inclined to believe you planted this here.”
“You think I listened to hundreds of hours of Hamilton just to confuse you?”
“Okay. Good point.”
I smiled. “What’s this one?” I asked. “‘Sliver’ by Lola Simone.”
“Play it. It’s really pretty. Part of her comeback album.”
We returned each other’s phones and I looked up the song on mine and played it over the Bluetooth.
A simple guitar intro, steady, ethereal voice. I loved it.
We listened to it, watching the moths flutter in the light of the billboard. Neither of us said a word, just enjoyed the song.
I wondered offhandedly if this would have happened that night after the concert if I’d been the one to drive her home. Would we have talked about music and ended up exchanging phones and picking a song to play?
I found myself thinking a lot about that night lately. I wished I didn’t.
There was no point dwelling on what-ifs. I did it with Mom and it only filled me with guilt and regret.
I think that’s just the way the human brain works though. Circling back over the mistakes we’ve made. Trying to learn so we do it better next time.
I wouldn’t get a next time. Not for either scenario.
The song ended right as the clock hit 11:00. Larissa lifted her phone to take a picture. “Easiest fifteen dollars I’ve ever made,” she said, sending the image to the company that asked for it.
“How much did you make today toward the hundred?”
She twisted her lips thinking about it. “I did a delivery order before the party, got a ten-dollar tip. So twenty-five?”
“Are there other requests? For billboard pictures?”
“Oh yeah. Lots. They’re not on the way home though, they’re kind of all over.”