my pants.
EMILIA: Which pants are you wearing?
ALEX: Jeans.
EMILIA: Your ripped jeans?
ALEX: Black. Not ripped.
EMILIA: I wish I could unzip them and get my hand in there.
ALEX: Me too. What’s going on in those panties?
EMILIA: They’re soaking wet, Alex. I’m wet all the time, to be honest. I’ve never been so turned on in my life. Just thinking about you. It’s like I wasn’t fully operational until I met you. And now all my lady parts are functioning at full power.
EMILIA: Wait! Not lady parts. My nipples and clit. My cunt. Wait not that.
ALEX: You can say cunt. I fucking love your pretty cunt, Emilia.
EMILIA: Pussy. Oh God.
ALEX: Your pussy is beautiful and delicious. I crave it all the time.
EMILIA: I can’t!
EMILIA: I miss your cock.
ALEX: My cock misses you. What are you gonna do to it when you’re back?
EMILIA: Ew I’m not saying that Franklin that’s gross!
ALEX: Um…
EMILIA: Oh shit.
ALEX: Please tell me you aren’t three-way sexting with me and your roommate.
EMILIA:
EMILIA: I’m so sorry Alex. I suck at this. I was asking Franklin for tits.
EMILIA: Tips! Shit! I was asking him for tips on what to write because I’m too dorky to do this. I’m sorry. I wanted to do something sexy for you.
ALEX: You’re always sexy to me, Emilia. You have no idea how hot you are. You don’t have to be embarrassed.
EMILIA: I’m horrified.
ALEX: Baby, I want to see you. I’m going to FaceTime you. We need to do this right.
EMILIA: What? Now?!
ALEX: Facetiming you now.
30
Emilia
Oh God oh God oh God oh God.
I make a mad dash to the adjoining bathroom to check myself in the mirror. I can barely focus my eyes, but I can see that I look insane. My glasses are on crooked. I didn’t wash my hair today, and I’m wearing a wrinkled blouse over an old camisole. I didn’t bring any of my cute things because I’ve been wearing them for Alex and they’re in my laundry basket back in LA. I could just not answer the call. Tell him the Wi-Fi isn’t working. No cell phone reception all of a sudden.
But I want to see him. I want to hear his voice. I want him I want him I want him.
I can do this.
I hear the FaceTime ringtone and run back to my bed, kicking my Christmas sweater under the bed so he doesn’t see it and instantly lose his boner.
I tilt my laptop screen back, comb my fingers through my hair, and make my lips all pouty. And then I accept the video call, catching my breath as soon as I see Alex’s face on my screen. He’s so handsome. He looks so concerned.
“Are you okay?”
“Hi.”
“Hi. You look sad.”
“Oh. I was making a pouty face. Trying to look all sexy-like.”
He’s grinning. “Emilia. You don’t have to try. Look at yourself. Look at yourself on the screen. Do you see what I see?”
“I’d rather look at you.”
“Why are you so nervous tonight?”
I shake my head. “It’s nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Tell me. Get it off your chest.”
“My ex came by the house tonight. Uninvited. By me, anyway. I told him to leave after a couple of minutes.”
His jaw has tightened, and I think he’s feeling possessive, and I know I like it.
“It wasn’t a big deal, really. It’s just…being home. You know. I felt like I’d changed so much when I moved to LA, but as soon as I got to my parents’ house, I just felt like the old me again.”
“Was old you really so bad?”
I shrug. “No. I just didn’t feel as good as I usually do now. To be honest, seeing Brent just made me realize how much I like you.”
And there it is. Saying it somehow makes me feel less nervous.
He puts his beautiful hand over his beautiful heart, but not in a cheesy or ironic way. In an Alex Vega way. “I like you so much too.” His face gets up closer to the camera and he whispers, “Are your parents anywhere nearby?”
“No. I’m upstairs. They moved their stuff downstairs because my dad has a bad knee… Hang on, let me see if I can think of an even less sexy sentence to say to you.” I shake my head, rolling my eyes.
“Take that top off,” he says, not even acknowledging what I just said. “Not the camisole, just the shirt.”
“Do you want me to take off my glasses?”
“Only if you don’t want to see me take