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He punches my number into his phone and hits send, and I can feel my phone vibrating inside my bag. “I’ll save your number later,” I tell him. “Thank you for walking me.” I toss the pen back into my purse and stick my hand in, searching for my car keys. After I unlock the door, I lob my bag onto the passenger seat.
“Good night, Lena.” Massimo brushes his lips to mine and smiles as he’s waiting for me to get into my car.
I bring my fingers up and rest them on my lips. “Good night, Massimo.”
A Few Days Later
“What are you reading?” Luci asks, sitting at the opposite end of the couch.
Luci’s hair is a mahogany red, the kind of red that only comes in a box. She’s always coloring her hair and experimenting with bold cuts. Right now, it’s short, but it falls just above her shoulders, which accentuates her heart-shaped face. The strands are wispy, giving it a fresh, unkempt look.
“Memoirs of a Geisha, finally. I’ve been wanting to read it forever and kept putting it off.” I’m lying on our couch with my knees up to rest the book against my legs.
We share a sweet two-bedroom apartment in Brighton’s Oak Square. We wanted a place in the city, but the rent was extremely expensive, so we decided this neighborhood would be perfect. Considering Newton is a few miles away, we can visit our families easier, and we’re still close to the city for work. Our apartment is on the first floor of a house, has parking, and has a yard for us to sit in when it’s not bitter cold outside.
“Let me know when you finish it. It’s such a great book.”
“I will. I’m going to the laundromat tomorrow. If there is anything you want me to wash for you, toss it into my basket,” I say, closing my book. It’s the one thing I don’t like about this place; we don’t have a washer and dryer, and doing laundry at the laundromat is like torture. It’s my least favorite thing to do in a place I hate being.
“I’m off tomorrow; I’ll go with you. I haven’t done laundry in a couple of weeks, and it’s piling up.”
“I’m going early because I want to get it out of the way. And by early, I mean 11ish.”
“What time is your date tonight?” Luci asks.
“He called me last night, said he’d pick me up at 6:30 p.m.” I glimpse the time on the DVD player next to the TV. I already showered because I had to wash my hair, so I have time before I need to get ready.
“Where are you guys going?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. He just told me it’s casual. We’re definitely eating something somewhere because he knows I love food.” I laugh.
“I won’t hold my breath on doing laundry tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe you go home with him and spend the night.” Luci wiggles her eyebrows.
“I like him a lot! But I don’t know about sleeping with him on our first date.”
“Well, you’ve known him for a while. Doesn’t that change things?”
“I don’t really know him, though. Yeah, he’s been coming to the bar for a year, but we don’t know much about each other, just the superficial stuff. What if I sleep with him tonight and then ruin it?”
“Why would you ruin it?”
“We go out, sleep together, and that’s it. It’s done, and he won’t want to see me anymore. Or, maybe he’s actually a jerk like Stefano was. I rushed into that relationship, and look how well that turned out.”
“Lena,” she says while grasping my wrist. “This guy isn’t Stefano! Remember that. I mean, I don’t know him, but from what you’ve told me about your encounters at work, he seems nice. Besides, he’s been going to see you every week for a year. That’s gotta count for something. And at least you know he’s consistent.”
“I guess. It’s been two months since Stefano left me. You think it’s too soon to start dating?”
“Uh, no! I’ve been telling you to start dating since that asshole left, but you never listen.”
“This is true. I’m too stubborn for my own good.”
“Glad you own it.”
Despite having seen Massimo more times than I can remember since meeting him, I’m nervous as I get dressed. I try on four different shirts and settle on the purple V-neck top with three-quarter-length sleeves, my favorite jeans, and my Dr. Martens boots.
“Luci, can I borrow your lipstick? That mauve-colored one you have?” I yell as I’m heading toward her bedroom. Her door is open, and I go into her room. She’s inside her closet searching through her clothes.
“Yeah, it’s there in the basket on my makeup table.”
