Perfect Puzzle Pieces || A. K.

Three

"Sooooo," Britanny teases, her voice breaking a little (phone service must be shit in Puerto Rico), "tell me about this boy you met yesterday!"

Heat flushes my cheeks, and I'm grateful we aren't on a video call. "Well, I went to school with him in Houston, for starters, and his name is Awsten."

"Oooh," Jennifer's voice chirps suddenly, "that's a hot name. Is he hot?"

I hear Britanny scold her wife and a giggle escapes me. "But seriously," she says louder to me, "is he cute?"

"I mean...your lesbian eyes probably wouldn't agree," I joke, "but I'd say he's not half-bad looking. He's got these eyes...they're different colors but insanely pretty."

I slip into auto-pilot then, my thoughts spilling out of my mouth before I can filter them. I end up telling Britanny (and subsequently Jennifer, since I must be on speaker) everything about Awsten. What his voice sounds like, the color of his hair, how his eyes squint up a bit when he smiles, how he doesn't really laugh, but more so giggles.

"Well, he certainly sounds hot," Jennifer comments. Since she's bisexual, I can actually take her input seriously. Her wife's, not so much. But whatever.

"Yeah, he's pretty cute," I say, partly agreeing. I've never known what people mean when they say someone looks hot, so I sort of pretend I do.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you're weird about the fricky-fracky."

"Jennifer!" Britanny snaps, but I can hear her holding back a laugh.

"It's okay, Brit," I reassure her, my previous joy disappearing like a skittish cat. I knew that would get brought up eventually, but it still hurts a little. I can only hope that Britanny was trying not to laugh at the term Jennifer used and not any other reason. Not really wanting to talk to them anymore, I add solemnly, "It's getting late here—" not true; it's only just now 3pm "—I should let you two go. Don't have too much fun, okay?"

Without waiting for them to respond, I hang up and flip open my laptop, resuming my work on one of the videos I have to edit. They're mostly done, but I just have to add in intro and end cards; won't be too much to do, I don't think. My phone chimes then, and I see Awsten has texted me.

Aws
-Yo, what's your fav emoji?

Elyssa
-Lol, what?

Aws
-You heard me

Elyssa
-I have always liked the
snowflake :)

Aws
-Why am I not surprised?

Awsten soon responds with a screenshot of my contact. In the place where my name should be sits the snowflake emoji. I still have no contact photo, so I snap a quick selfie, throw a subtle filter or two onto it, and send it with the simple caption:

❄️
-Thank me later, you can use this
for my pic in your phone
*Attachment: 1 image*

Aws
-Ok, it's done! Did you wanna Skype or something for a few?

❄️
-Aww, miss me that much,
huh?

I know he's gonna read that as me attempting to flirt, but he knows my personality well enough to know I'm not the type to do that. Or am I, I start to wonder. Considering my...weirdness, as Britanny and Jennifer put it, I've never had much relationship experience beyond best friends goofing off for shits and giggles. Maybe I am secretly flirtatious. I don't see myself being so, but you can never truly know, can you?