“So, Emily,” she says, plopping down on my bed with stars in her eyes, “I know you haven’t had sex yet—and you should totally wait until you’re ready with the right guy—but when you do… try to find a guy who fucks you like Aidan fucks me.”
What the hell? “Eww!” I smack her with a pillow. “I do not want to hear about your sex life, Mom. Ever.”
“There’s this thing he does with his tongue when I’m riding him?—”
“If you actually finish that sentence, I’m calling Child Protective Services and telling them the real reason I had to miss my senior year of high school.”
“Fine.” She laughs, hands raised in mock surrender. “I’ll go move our car.”
4
EMILY
“Continue on this road for sixty miles,” the GPS chirps.
I knew it.
We’ve been driving for two and a half hours already, and there’s still no end in sight. My mom swore this would be a quick trip, but her sense of direction has never been reliable.
I flip through my phone, pretending to scroll, but my thumb hovers over a draft I left open last night. A poem that’s now tangled with someone I haven’t been able to stop thinking about.
I open my messages and finally type:
Hey, it’s me. How have you been?
A reply comes quickly.
Depends on who you are, “me”...
I hesitate. He still doesn’t know my real name. I’m not ready to give it yet.
Amy. The girl who was almost a lot lizard.
Cole
I was beginning to worry about you, Amy…
I watched the news and hadn’t seen “Sexy as hell woman found dead on highway.”
Good to know you’re alive.
My cheeks heat. I’m still trying to think of a reply when he beats me to it.
If I’d known it would take you this long to text me, I would’ve just taken your number instead…
I was busy.
We’re moving again.
Where?
When I trust you, I’ll tell you.
Good answer. You’re learning.
I have a poetry reading coming up in NYC in a few weeks. If you’d like to see me again…
I would. Send me the details when you have them.
