pink nights / sally face

no labels

i huffed out of breath as i came up the last few stairs. "larry, i hate your apartment."

"i know, i know." his keys jingled as he unlocked the door.

surprisingly the car ride here wasn't awkward. i say surprisingly because the maneuver we pulled before leaving was actually comical. larry dropped both ash and i back off at our dorm to avoid suspicion from ash. of course, since we live on the same floor, i had to walk up to my room with her. being the scaredy cat i am, i waited in my room with my ear pressed up against the wall for at least three minutes making sure ash wasn't about to leave her room. once i thought it sounded like she got in bed, i darted out of my room and down the hall. all just to get back into the car with larry.

but now, it was awkward. we had reached the point of confrontation. both of us sat on either end of his couch, swallowing every attempt to begin the conversation.

"ok," i cleared my throat, "i'll start. so, apart of me feels like maybe i'd be totally okay if we didn't talk about it. but it's the guilt of not telling ash."

larry nodded slowly, "well what about sal?"

i raised an eyebrow, "what about sal?"

"i mean, why aren't you worried about not telling him?"

i exhaled, "it's just different with ash."

he shook his head smiling slyly, "i get it. i know why it's different with ash. there's been boy talk, hasn't there?"

i felt my cheeks heat up and i rolled my eyes, "oh, you wish!"

larry smiled harder, "i don't know, you look like you're lying. what have you guys talked about?"

i was blushing big time remembering ash and i both admitting larry was hot. i'm paraphrasing of course. "nothing! but even if we did talk about something it's none of your business!" i could feel him looking at me.

"i don't know if she'd care about this, y/n ..." he scooted a little closer.

"i don't know what makes you say that."

"ash and i have been friends for years. i can't begin to tell you the number of times she's egged me on to find a date. it's what friends do."

i exhaled sharply, "and sal?"

"i thought you didn't care about what sal thought."

i sat and thought for a second. sal was still so confusing to me. he caught my eye the minute i saw him and there was no doubt about his character. he was kind and sweet and comforting ... but ash. larry said he likes ash. there it is. that's the kicker. that's what ties this all together.

"what are we doing, larry?"

he looked at me confused, "what do you mean?"

"i mean ... are you into me?"

larry sighed, "i have been kind of avoiding the main point here, haven't i?" he ran a hand through his hair.

"why did you do what you did that night?"  i pressed.

he sat up straight and looked at me, "i trust you. i don't know know why but i trust you. it's intuition or something. when i showed you my art that one night, we were in my bedroom ... the look in your eyes was so genuine. i don't know if i've ever feel more comfortable being vulnerable with anyone else besides sal and ash. and i don't know, it meant a lot to me."

i nodded my head but i didn't know how to respond.

"i hope i'm not coming on too strong," he pushed his hair behind his ear. "i'm sorry, y/n."

"you don't have to be sorry, larry." i felt a lump form in my throat.

it was silent for a moment. i could tell we were both navigating this situation with the same insecurity and caution. in a way, larry's wariness was comforting.

"we don't have to put a label on this and we don't have to tell anyone. i love my friends but sometimes your private life is private. we could let this unfold naturally. b-but i respect you and if that sounds super douche-y then by all means slap me."

i laughed, making him smile back at me. "larry, shut up." i covered my hands with my sleeves, "no labels, keep it private. these boundaries are fine with me. but um, i've never really ... done this before."

he shook his head, "me either."