You Had Me at "I Hate You"
23
ONE WEEK LATER
"Hey Violet, let me in!"
That's the first thing I heard on Saturday. Seven o'clock in the freaking morning.
It sounded again.
"Violet, you whore!" the voice called. "It's cold out here!"
The voice was now paired with a banging fist.
I shuffled out of bed and Linc groaned. Harry Potter, who had taken to sleeping on Linc's head, woke up and mewed angrily.
(Harry Potter the cat, not the fictional character!)
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his face buried in his pillow.
"Getting the door. Go back to sleep."
He obeyed, and I walked out, through the living room, and into the main hallway. I unlocked the door and saw something that made me gasp.
"MASSIA?!?" I screeched, suddenly feeling instantly awake.
"Surprise!" My best friend from back home shouted, a bright bulb flashing in my face as she took my picture. "I'm going to call that one, 'Reunited'."
She was Filipino, and drop-dead gorgeous. During the summers, she would model part time, but she was never serious about it. Her choppy dark hair fell in barrel curls, and her golden skin glowed with happiness. Her lip ring glinted in the morning light. The 35mm camera that she constantly wore around her neck was an unforgettable reminder of the fact that she liked to photograph anyone and everyone.
"Oh my God! When did you get here?" I cried
"A few hours ago... Man, I'm beat! I had a hell of a time finding this place... Can you help me out?"
She gestured to her large suitcase.
"Um..." I faltered. "Are you planning on st-staying?"
"Yeah!" She piped. "Is that a problem?"
She's always dropped in on me unannounced back home... It was kind of our thing.
"Um, yeah. It's a small problem..." I tried to explain the situation delicately. "You see, I live with... I, um... I live with..."
Jesse and Linc both burst out of their separate rooms at the same time. Linc was in his usual night-time attire, which was shirtless (pants optional) and his hair was tousled beyond belief. I mean it. The guy took bed-head to a whole new level.
Harry Potter skittered out of our room, running over to his bright red food bowl.
Jesse was a different story. His hair was squished flat on one side, and the other was crinkled up at an odd angle. He was also shirtless, but he'd donned baggy spider-man pajama bottoms. His favorite slippers, which were giant "Winnie the Pooh" themed Tigger heads, flopped about as he opened the door.
"What's going on?" they asked in unison, mirroring each other's sleepy expressions.
"I live with boys," I finished.
Massia's eyes widened.
Linc yawned, grunting in greeting to Massia, then shlumped over to the kitchen, and began chugging orange juice straight from the carton. Jesse was frozen in shock.
"Jesse?" I began tentatively. "This is my best friend, Massia Giordano. We went to school together and..."
I could tell he wasn't listening. He was just staring, slack jawed at Massia. It wasn't the "Damn-She's-Hot" stare... It was more like an "Oh-Dear-Lord-You've-Sent-Me-An-Angel" stare.
Massia raised her camera and snapped a photo of the immoble Jesse.
"I'm going to call that one, 'Stunned.'"
Jesse's mouth snapped shut, and he tried to regain his bearings. He cleared his throat several times before saying, in a very high-pitched voice, "Lips and rings... Gleep."
Massia raised an eyebrow at him. She turned to me. "Is there something wrong with him?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Oh."
"Flump!"
"Jesse, how about you go back into your room until you learn to speak correctly, okay?" I offered. "And put on a shirt. And some real pants. And maybe footwear that doesn't involve cartoon characters... Just trying to help."
"'Kay," he squeaked, and numbly turned around into his room.
Massia tried not to laugh.
"So, Vi..." she began, taking in the tiny apartment. "When am I going to meet this Aiden you've been telling me about?"
I grinned. "Soon..."
"I can hardly believe that he's as cute as you say," she said skeptically, plopping down on our tiny couch. "Nobody's that perfect!"
I shook my head adamantly. "No way, Mass... He's the guy! I mean... He's so romantic... So adorable... Sometimes I feel like he just knows exactly what I'm thinking-"
"Bleck!" Linc interrupted from the kitchen. "Keep your voice down, would you? I'm trying to keep my breakfast inside my stomach!"
"Hey!" I scolded. "How about you get out here so that I can properly introduce my friend to you, huh? Now!"
Lincoln made his way into the living room, leaned on the couch, and quietly observed Massia.
"That means you too, Jesse... Let's go! Let's go!"
Jesse emerged from his room, wearing the only pair of jeans he owned that didn't have a hole the size of a small planet in the knee. He had donned a button down shirt, and some fancy cologne stung my nose. I rolled my eyes. What a chump.
"Jesse King, Lincoln Fletcher... this is Massia Giordano. She's my best friend from back home... And she's planning on staying here for... How many days?"
"Oh, just a week... If that's okay. I'm only here to visit," he said.
"Okay. So I'm sure you'll be nice to her, not too nice, Linc - don't stand that close to her. Back up! A little more... Okay, that's good. Jesse, wipe the drool from your chin and close your mouth. You look like a drunk baboon."
Both of them obeyed me, and Massia bit back a laugh. "Nice to meet you guys."
"Nice to meet you, too!" Jesse shouted, a little louder than necessary. He instantly blushed.
I sighed. Obviously, for the week, Jesse wasn't going to be much help.
"So... Sleeping situations?" I asked. "Any suggestions? There's three beds and four of us..."
Jesse began to say something, but stopped himself in the middle of the first word. A wise move, my friend.
"I'll sleep in Jesse's room," Linc offered. "We could take the cushions off the couch and make a mattress for me."
"Good idea," I praised. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he insisted.
"Okay, and Massia can take your bed... Deal?"
"Deal," Massia shrugged. She raised her camera and clicked a photo of Linc, who looked surprised.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Photography's sort of my thing. And the light is really nice, coming through the blinds in bars."
Linc chuckled.
Jesse tried to chuckle too, but his voice cracked, and he blushed.
I had a feeling the next seven days would be... interesting.
"Hey Violet, let me in!"
That's the first thing I heard on Saturday. Seven o'clock in the freaking morning.
It sounded again.
"Violet, you whore!" the voice called. "It's cold out here!"
The voice was now paired with a banging fist.
I shuffled out of bed and Linc groaned. Harry Potter, who had taken to sleeping on Linc's head, woke up and mewed angrily.
(Harry Potter the cat, not the fictional character!)
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked, his face buried in his pillow.
"Getting the door. Go back to sleep."
He obeyed, and I walked out, through the living room, and into the main hallway. I unlocked the door and saw something that made me gasp.
"MASSIA?!?" I screeched, suddenly feeling instantly awake.
"Surprise!" My best friend from back home shouted, a bright bulb flashing in my face as she took my picture. "I'm going to call that one, 'Reunited'."
She was Filipino, and drop-dead gorgeous. During the summers, she would model part time, but she was never serious about it. Her choppy dark hair fell in barrel curls, and her golden skin glowed with happiness. Her lip ring glinted in the morning light. The 35mm camera that she constantly wore around her neck was an unforgettable reminder of the fact that she liked to photograph anyone and everyone.
"Oh my God! When did you get here?" I cried
"A few hours ago... Man, I'm beat! I had a hell of a time finding this place... Can you help me out?"
She gestured to her large suitcase.
"Um..." I faltered. "Are you planning on st-staying?"
"Yeah!" She piped. "Is that a problem?"
She's always dropped in on me unannounced back home... It was kind of our thing.
"Um, yeah. It's a small problem..." I tried to explain the situation delicately. "You see, I live with... I, um... I live with..."
Jesse and Linc both burst out of their separate rooms at the same time. Linc was in his usual night-time attire, which was shirtless (pants optional) and his hair was tousled beyond belief. I mean it. The guy took bed-head to a whole new level.
Harry Potter skittered out of our room, running over to his bright red food bowl.
Jesse was a different story. His hair was squished flat on one side, and the other was crinkled up at an odd angle. He was also shirtless, but he'd donned baggy spider-man pajama bottoms. His favorite slippers, which were giant "Winnie the Pooh" themed Tigger heads, flopped about as he opened the door.
"What's going on?" they asked in unison, mirroring each other's sleepy expressions.
"I live with boys," I finished.
Massia's eyes widened.
Linc yawned, grunting in greeting to Massia, then shlumped over to the kitchen, and began chugging orange juice straight from the carton. Jesse was frozen in shock.
"Jesse?" I began tentatively. "This is my best friend, Massia Giordano. We went to school together and..."
I could tell he wasn't listening. He was just staring, slack jawed at Massia. It wasn't the "Damn-She's-Hot" stare... It was more like an "Oh-Dear-Lord-You've-Sent-Me-An-Angel" stare.
Massia raised her camera and snapped a photo of the immoble Jesse.
"I'm going to call that one, 'Stunned.'"
Jesse's mouth snapped shut, and he tried to regain his bearings. He cleared his throat several times before saying, in a very high-pitched voice, "Lips and rings... Gleep."
Massia raised an eyebrow at him. She turned to me. "Is there something wrong with him?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Oh."
"Flump!"
"Jesse, how about you go back into your room until you learn to speak correctly, okay?" I offered. "And put on a shirt. And some real pants. And maybe footwear that doesn't involve cartoon characters... Just trying to help."
"'Kay," he squeaked, and numbly turned around into his room.
Massia tried not to laugh.
"So, Vi..." she began, taking in the tiny apartment. "When am I going to meet this Aiden you've been telling me about?"
I grinned. "Soon..."
"I can hardly believe that he's as cute as you say," she said skeptically, plopping down on our tiny couch. "Nobody's that perfect!"
I shook my head adamantly. "No way, Mass... He's the guy! I mean... He's so romantic... So adorable... Sometimes I feel like he just knows exactly what I'm thinking-"
"Bleck!" Linc interrupted from the kitchen. "Keep your voice down, would you? I'm trying to keep my breakfast inside my stomach!"
"Hey!" I scolded. "How about you get out here so that I can properly introduce my friend to you, huh? Now!"
Lincoln made his way into the living room, leaned on the couch, and quietly observed Massia.
"That means you too, Jesse... Let's go! Let's go!"
Jesse emerged from his room, wearing the only pair of jeans he owned that didn't have a hole the size of a small planet in the knee. He had donned a button down shirt, and some fancy cologne stung my nose. I rolled my eyes. What a chump.
"Jesse King, Lincoln Fletcher... this is Massia Giordano. She's my best friend from back home... And she's planning on staying here for... How many days?"
"Oh, just a week... If that's okay. I'm only here to visit," he said.
"Okay. So I'm sure you'll be nice to her, not too nice, Linc - don't stand that close to her. Back up! A little more... Okay, that's good. Jesse, wipe the drool from your chin and close your mouth. You look like a drunk baboon."
Both of them obeyed me, and Massia bit back a laugh. "Nice to meet you guys."
"Nice to meet you, too!" Jesse shouted, a little louder than necessary. He instantly blushed.
I sighed. Obviously, for the week, Jesse wasn't going to be much help.
"So... Sleeping situations?" I asked. "Any suggestions? There's three beds and four of us..."
Jesse began to say something, but stopped himself in the middle of the first word. A wise move, my friend.
"I'll sleep in Jesse's room," Linc offered. "We could take the cushions off the couch and make a mattress for me."
"Good idea," I praised. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine," he insisted.
"Okay, and Massia can take your bed... Deal?"
"Deal," Massia shrugged. She raised her camera and clicked a photo of Linc, who looked surprised.
"Sorry," she apologized. "Photography's sort of my thing. And the light is really nice, coming through the blinds in bars."
Linc chuckled.
Jesse tried to chuckle too, but his voice cracked, and he blushed.
I had a feeling the next seven days would be... interesting.