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"Nah, you can still do the deed," he said. "Not that I hear much action coming from your side of the wall."
Oh, my God, how embarrassing. "Hey, my fiancé is out of town."
"So? You could still get it on with a little creativity."
Ouch. That kind of hurt. But no way was I going to admit that Devon wasn't into that sort of thing. "Just because you don't hear anything doesn't mean anything."
He gave me a funny look, eyebrows raised. "Anyway, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about our vices. I gave up mine, and you give up buying flip-flops."
My heart skipped a beat at the thought. I mean, there were flip-flops for sale everywhere. I couldn't even go to the grocery store or drug store without seeing them. It was downright cruel.
"B-b-but why?" I sputtered. "What's the purpose?"
"Just for fun," Josh said, lifting one shoulder in a half shrug. "Just a friendly little wager between neighbors, you know, to see who has more willpower."
"Hmm... well, hmm," I muttered, not so sure I had much willpower.
"What? Are you scared?" Josh taunted.
"No, of course not. I have tons of willpower."
"Right. Right." He flashed me his Josh smirk. "Of course you do."
"Oh, my God. You're the worst. I could totally outlast you," I boasted, despite my doubts.
"So it's a yes."
Releasing an epic sigh, I nodded. "It's a yes." I could do this. It was a matter of pride now. "Prepare to go down, bro."
He laughed. "We'll see about that."
"Mm-hmm. We'll see." It dawned on me that we hadn't talked about the prize. "So what's the winner get at the end? And how long are we doing this? Oh, and my mom's shoes don't count."
"Hold up. Slow down," he said, glancing at the TV as the Dodgers struck out the side. "Let's think about this for a sec."
He tossed some popcorn into his mouth and thoughtfully chewed while I waited, throwing a few kernels to Magic.
"So, yes, I think it's okay to take the shoes from your mom. And as far as how long, I guess till one of us screws up and caves. And it's not going to be me," he added.
"Well, it's not going to be me. So this thing might last a long while."
"Fine with me."
"Really?" I asked. "Just how long do you plan to be celibate?"
"For however long it takes," he said, a strange note in his voice that I didn't understand.
"Huh. And what about the prize for the winner?" I asked just as an idea began to take shape in my mind. "I know. We could go to a baseball game, the loser pays all."
He looked impressed. "Not bad, bro. Not bad at all."
"That means you'll have to buy me all the food I want." My eyes drifted off as I thought about the heavenly smell of fresh kettle corn. "And really good seats."
"Ha, I'll remind you of that when you lose," he said. "And I have an idea too."
"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
"The loser has to go full-on crazy Dodgers fanatic."
I cringed at those words. "What exactly do you mean?"
"You know, all the stuff. A wig, face paint."
"Face paint?" That sounded like agony.
He nodded slowly. "Yep. Face paint. The whole damn face."
Ugh, honestly, I was kind of scared. But then it dawned on me. Josh didn't know about my other vice—fuzzy socks. I'd just have to fill the flip-flop void with those cozy, comfy delights until I could win this little bet.
And I would win this bet. I mean, how long could a guy like Josh go without hooking up?
