After Kissing

23.

She thought it for a moment, still eying me suspiciously. "Can we watch more Heartstopper?"

I almost grimaced at the cheesy show. Almost. The other day she put on a couple episodes, and whether I sleep through most of the first one, the second had been a torture. Now Netflix suggested more shows like that to me. But if that convinced her...

"One episode." I bargained.

Ginny giggled, taking my hand and letting me put her up as well. "Deep down, you actually love it."

Very deep down. Under a hundred layer of boredom and vague curiosity.

We did just that. I prepared the pre-cooked meal and offered her one half. She once more tried to get me to give her a beer, but once more failed. It felt like a tradition now. We ended up watching two episodes instead of one, and it turned out it was better than I first thought. Not good, and I was clearly not the right target, but I enjoyed it a bit more -mostly because she talked all the way through, commenting on everything and everyone and making fun of it all- and Ginny said she'll come back to watch the rest some other day. I wasn't sure how I felt about that offer... or rather threat.

By the time she sneaked out through the stairs of the fire exit, she wasn't so down anymore. We hadn't heard if this Steve had left or not, but she said she'll enter directly in her room and if she saw he was still around she'll climb back down.

I waited for the first ten minutes, but when she made no comeback I could only assume things had gone fine and then brough everything to the kitchen, giving it a look stare as it piled there. I really didn't want to take care of dirty dishes now. 

So I called Kyle.

"Missing me already?" were his first words when he took it almost immediately and I rolled my eyes.

"Your big head, yeah." He chuckled on the other end of the line. "What are you doing?"

"Deciding what to wear. Sam and I are going to the SoHo."

Sam. I miss him as well. And Ben and Amir and Ethan... all the guys from NYU and my first workplace. Everyone from New York in general. I might have only gotten really close with Kyle, but I missed the whole life I had there. I like Providence, but New York had been... New York. My first solo experience.

We would often go to the SoHo, mostly because Sam loved it there. Without a plan and just see what were we up to at the moment. Some of the best nights of my life have been there. And now I felt a light sting of jealousy as I was alone in my apartment and Kyle was getting ready for the amazing night ahead.

"Who's going?"

"So far, just us. But maybe Amir joined us at some point. We're texting to agree where. Hey, how did things go with the family lunch? Did you cook or what?"

"I know how to cook, asshole."

He scoffed. "Barely. But okay. So how did it go?"

"Good. Stressing, then chill and then fine."

"And Sophie?"

I smiled just thinking of my cousin. "She say to give you a thousand of kisses."

"And?"

"Well, I'm not doing that, but I'm passing the message."

He chuckled. "Works for me. And about your mother?" I immediately felt a pang in my chest. "Did they bring it up or said something?"

"No." Actually, I tried to not think about it at all, but my mother had tried calling a couple times in the past weeks. I never picked up, but not on purpose, she just had bad timing. But it was better that way. If I had to consciously choose between answering and not... I wasn't sure what I'll do.