Exes & Ohs

We all need something to take away the pain.

Et sat on the couch in the front partition of the loft above the coffeehouse that employed her. "Tic Tac Joe's." The owner Lindsay always said "Tic for the flick of lighters lighting hookahs, Tac for the claps after karaoke and, Joe as in a cuppa."

But Et was fairly certain that it was because Lindsay loved Tic Tac Toe and puns, but if she wanted to seem poetic, Et was going to let her do it. She found it best to not anger her boss and current landlord.

Betsy burst through the doorway and sat down only to stand up again.

"Oh my holy fucking God!" she screamed.

"What? And that was an odd thing to exclaim." Et coolly responded.

"What?! WHAT?! You know what! Ethan Parkers hugged you! you touched famous flesh. Famous, sexy, perfect flesh." Betsy drawled with a very lusty tone.

"Why do you keep saying flesh? It's really creepy." Et said, deliberately ignoring the topic Betsy was so desperate to discuss.

"You say flesh all the time in your writing. It's sultry." Betsy said.

"The syntax and diction in my writing serves to aid in impact and deliverance, but you sound like a serial killer when you repeatedly say it like that." Et countered with a laugh.

"I'd serial kill dat ass of his." Betsy jokingly leered in response.

"Dude. Stop. Seriously. You've turned the creep factor up far too high."

"If I stop will you tell me why he hugged you?" Betsy said hopeful.

"Fine", Et said with a sigh, "He came over to talk to me, and we talked about blankets forts. He saw my scars and hugged me. He said "everything will be okay darling" or something and that he'd see me tomorrow."

Betsy screamed.

"That is the sweetest thing I have ever heard!" Betsy squealed after her seemingly forever scream of excitement.

"Eh, it was probably bullshit." Et reasoned at she pulled her legs onto the green couch so she could she with her legs crossed, pretzel style.

"Well did he seem sincere?"

"Yeah?"

"Then why would it be bullshit?"

"Well, he is an actor. It's kind of his job to seem sincere." Et enunciated condescendingly.

"Why even do anything at all if it wasn't genuine?"

"I don't know Betsy. Maybe he wanted me to tell people so that his fan base would have even more reasons to adore him?" Et said with obvious exasperation coloring her voice.