trying very, very hard to keep a straight face.
“Okaaaaaay,” I say, slowly nodding back. Alright, so far not too embarrassing.
Brad turns toward Sean. “Hey, do you have a car?”
Oh God.
“Yeah.” Sean tips his head.
“Great,” says Brad. “Can you give your friend Ellie here a ride home? Her ride cancelled on her and the bus, well, that’s just not safe.”
My face is burning. I look down.
“Sure,” Sean says. “I’d be glad to. Hey, good timing on my part, right?” He’s grinning. If what Brad said sounds as fake to him as it does to me, he’s doing an admirable job pretending not to notice.
“Thank you,” I say to Sean. And I’m suddenly very nervous, although I’m not really sure why.
“Bye, El.” Brad leans over, kisses me on the cheek, and whispers, “You owe me a latte.” Which is what he always says when he does something especially nice for me.
“Ready?” Sean says. His hair is flopping into his face, he pushes it out of the way and looks me straight in the eye. And there’s that flash again.
He smiles.
My stomach twists. “Okay,” I say.
Nine
O utside the sky is weirdly dark and the air thick and humid, the way it gets before a storm. Sean leads me over to a navy blue Volvo. “Ta-da!” he says. The paint is scratched and the back bumper is covered in the remnants of bumper stickers that someone tried to tear off, but eventually gave up on—a piece of light blue with a lacy-looking white shape in the corner, a dark green sticker with everything torn off except for a white UR. Sean unlocks the passenger side and opens the door, then walks around to the driver’s side and gets in. I get in, too.
There are four different plastic cups in the cupholder, and cups scattered all over the floor. On the backseat there’s a black leather messenger bag closed with a shiny brass lock. The car smells like pine trees.
“Sorry about all the cups, you can just kick them out of the way,” Sean says. “Iced coffee is my crack.”
“What a coincidence,” I say. “Crack is my iced coffee.”
Sean laughs. “I knew there was a reason I liked you,” hesays. He shakes his head a little bit. He starts his car. “So where am I taking you?”
“I’m in the Sunrise Village condo complex,” I say, “behind the A&P on Grays Avenue.”
Sean starts his car, starts driving, neither of us says anything for a while. I watch his hands as he turns the steering wheel. I cannot recall ever having any sort of opinion about a guy’s hands before, but his are beautiful.
“So…I have to confess something.” Sean reaches up with one of his beautiful hands and pushes his hair out of his face. “I didn’t really come here to tell you the rules of hide-and-seek.” He pauses. “The truth is, Ellie, it’s really not that hard of a game. And besides, you could just look it up online.”
“The Internet is good like that,” I say. My heart is starting to race. “Then why are you here?”
“The truth? I looked for you after the party and when I didn’t see you I got worried. I thought maybe the fire ate you up. The fire department said everyone got out okay, but you just never know, I guess.” He glances at me and then looks back at the road. “I remembered you said you worked at the coffee place, so I figured I’d just come by and make sure you were alright. I hope that doesn’t seem stalkery or weird seeing as we only talked for like thirty seconds…”
“No, it’s nice of you,” I say. “I’m okay, thanks for checking.”
“You don’t look that okay actually…When I came in to Mon Coeur, you looked really sad. And at the party, too.” Sean pauses. I don’t say anything. “So did you ever find him?”
“Who?” I feel myself blushing.
“Whoever you were looking for at the party. Was it that guy with the bad tattoos?”
“Oh,” I say. “Yeah. Sort of. I mean I thought so, only it turned out no.”
“He isn’t like your boyfriend or something, is
“Okaaaaaay,” I say, slowly nodding back. Alright, so far not too embarrassing.
Brad turns toward Sean. “Hey, do you have a car?”
Oh God.
“Yeah.” Sean tips his head.
“Great,” says Brad. “Can you give your friend Ellie here a ride home? Her ride cancelled on her and the bus, well, that’s just not safe.”
My face is burning. I look down.
“Sure,” Sean says. “I’d be glad to. Hey, good timing on my part, right?” He’s grinning. If what Brad said sounds as fake to him as it does to me, he’s doing an admirable job pretending not to notice.
“Thank you,” I say to Sean. And I’m suddenly very nervous, although I’m not really sure why.
“Bye, El.” Brad leans over, kisses me on the cheek, and whispers, “You owe me a latte.” Which is what he always says when he does something especially nice for me.
“Ready?” Sean says. His hair is flopping into his face, he pushes it out of the way and looks me straight in the eye. And there’s that flash again.
He smiles.
My stomach twists. “Okay,” I say.
Nine
O utside the sky is weirdly dark and the air thick and humid, the way it gets before a storm. Sean leads me over to a navy blue Volvo. “Ta-da!” he says. The paint is scratched and the back bumper is covered in the remnants of bumper stickers that someone tried to tear off, but eventually gave up on—a piece of light blue with a lacy-looking white shape in the corner, a dark green sticker with everything torn off except for a white UR. Sean unlocks the passenger side and opens the door, then walks around to the driver’s side and gets in. I get in, too.
There are four different plastic cups in the cupholder, and cups scattered all over the floor. On the backseat there’s a black leather messenger bag closed with a shiny brass lock. The car smells like pine trees.
“Sorry about all the cups, you can just kick them out of the way,” Sean says. “Iced coffee is my crack.”
“What a coincidence,” I say. “Crack is my iced coffee.”
Sean laughs. “I knew there was a reason I liked you,” hesays. He shakes his head a little bit. He starts his car. “So where am I taking you?”
“I’m in the Sunrise Village condo complex,” I say, “behind the A&P on Grays Avenue.”
Sean starts his car, starts driving, neither of us says anything for a while. I watch his hands as he turns the steering wheel. I cannot recall ever having any sort of opinion about a guy’s hands before, but his are beautiful.
“So…I have to confess something.” Sean reaches up with one of his beautiful hands and pushes his hair out of his face. “I didn’t really come here to tell you the rules of hide-and-seek.” He pauses. “The truth is, Ellie, it’s really not that hard of a game. And besides, you could just look it up online.”
“The Internet is good like that,” I say. My heart is starting to race. “Then why are you here?”
“The truth? I looked for you after the party and when I didn’t see you I got worried. I thought maybe the fire ate you up. The fire department said everyone got out okay, but you just never know, I guess.” He glances at me and then looks back at the road. “I remembered you said you worked at the coffee place, so I figured I’d just come by and make sure you were alright. I hope that doesn’t seem stalkery or weird seeing as we only talked for like thirty seconds…”
“No, it’s nice of you,” I say. “I’m okay, thanks for checking.”
“You don’t look that okay actually…When I came in to Mon Coeur, you looked really sad. And at the party, too.” Sean pauses. I don’t say anything. “So did you ever find him?”
“Who?” I feel myself blushing.
“Whoever you were looking for at the party. Was it that guy with the bad tattoos?”
“Oh,” I say. “Yeah. Sort of. I mean I thought so, only it turned out no.”
“He isn’t like your boyfriend or something, is
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