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“Are you ready for intense eye contact?” I asked as I queued up the first movie.
“Bring it,” she said.
* * *
“I lovehow you can watch a movie and they have sex and it’s like, meh, but then you watch something like this and you lose your mind every time their hands touch,” Esme said, after we finished the first movie and broke out the cake.
“That’s the power of the period drama. If you had eye contact back then, it was basically like fucking.”
Esme gazed at me and didn’t look away. My face heated and I wasn’t thinking about cake anymore.
Esme slowly smiled. “How was it for you?”
I pretended to fan myself. “If I smoked, I’d need a cigarette right about now.”
“I’ve got an old vape pen in my car if you want.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m good. Do you vape?”
“Used to. And I smoked. I know, I know, but everyone at the restaurant did, so I guess I caved to peer pressure. How sad is that?”
“Not sad at all. Have I told you about my mom and her pyramid schemes?”
Esme burst out laughing and almost dropped her cake plate.
“No, tell me.”
It hadn’t been in my seduction plan to tell Esme about my mother and her penchant for getting scammed, but once she expressed an interest, I opened my mouth and couldn’t shut up. Sure, I’d told Linley and Em about it, but I didn’t go into all the details and my frustration with everything.
“My dad used to buy too much stuff from TV infomercials. We’d get these boxes that would just show up and I’d have no idea what the hell was going to be in them. It was everything from knives to clothing to purses, for some reason? I mean, I think he was buying the stuff for me, but it wasn’t anything I wanted? Bless him. He tried. Plus, now we have some really great cookware, so I shouldn’t complain.”
“Your dad and my mom should be friends,” I said.
“Maybe we can make that happen. I have been trying to get him out more. She wouldn’t try to recruit him into a scam, would she?”
I nodded. “Oh, she absolutely would.”
“Never mind,” Esme said with a laugh.
We moved on to the next movie and just a few minutes in, Esme put her arm around me and I leaned into her. Too bad it was so warm that we couldn’t share a blanket.
Her fingers drifted from my shoulder to the ends of my hair.
I tried to focus on the film, but having Esme so close was distracting. I also couldn’t stop imagining us sitting together like this beyond tonight. She’d brought an extra bag with her, but it was just the regular bag she carried all the time, so I didn’t think it had any overnight items in it. I still hoped that it did.
“Do you mind if I stay tonight? It’s absolutely fine if the answer is no. I brought my stuff, just in case,” she said, as if she’d read my mind.
“Yes, you can stay.” I had to stop myself from adding “forever” onto the end of that sentence. It was way too early for any kind of sentiment like that.
“If I had to be married to these annoying men, I think I’d make out with a lady too,” Esme said, and I settled further into her. “Oh, and I brought my special haircare so I don’t have to be threatened with the garbage you have in your shower right now.”
I sat up, pretending to be offended.
“You are awfully judgmental about my hair products.”
Esme ran her hands through her hair. “This takes a lot of maintenance. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
It was true that she did have incredible hair. I let my hand slide through her silky hair, all the way to the ends.
