covered up. He wears glasses, these thick black-framed nerd ones.
Dominic doesn’t look at all like me. His hair is almost jet black, and he has a very masculine jawline, not at all like mine. I may be twenty-two, but I swear I could join Disney because I look so baby-faced. Dom looks like a man, a real man, but too bad he has the personality of a wet mop.
“So, what’s been happening, you still doing that computer stuff?”
He huffs, only slightly under his breath, “Yes.”
And that’s the end of that conversation.
He ends up leaving, and I spend the night on the couch watching Pretty Woman with my mom. God, I love my mom. She is so beautiful, so refined. She was born in China, grew up there until her parents sent her to study here when she was eighteen. She met my dad not long after, and, well, from the bits I’ve heard, they spent the next few years trying to convince my grandfather why he should let her marry an American. They have fifteen years between them, and my dad was a colleague of my grandfather at the time. It was messy, like really messy. My mom broke every culture rule possible, but in the end, I guess it was all worth it.
I snuggle into her side as we both sit quietly and watch a whore turn into a princess.
***
By Wednesday, I’m experiencing major hump-day issues. God, I just need a good hump. The Bone Ranger is a great distraction, but it isn’t the real thing, yet. The only thing that makes my day somewhat interesting is an email Nikki and I received from Lex in the morning.
To: Eric Kennedy; Nikki Romano
Eric & Nikki,
Can I request you join me for lunch today at George’s on 7th at midday?
I have some urgent matters I would like to discuss with both of you.
Your attendance will be highly appreciated, and I ask that this not be mentioned to Charlotte. I will explain why during our lunch.
Lex Edwards
Okay, so, kind of weird because I have no idea what this is about. Nikki thinks the same, but anyway, we make up some lame-ass excuse when Charlie asks if we want to go out for lunch.
“Where are you guys going?” she questions.
“I don’t know about Nikki, but I… um, am meeting up with a friend for lunch.”
“Which friend?”
I don’t work well under interrogation. I think sweat beads are forming on my forehead. Oh my God, that means I’ll need to get another facial! My T-Zone is so high maintenance.
“A friend of my brother’s.”
“But you hate your brother.”
“I don’t hate him, Charlie, I just think he is a thirty-year-old geek who needs to be taught how to get laid and maybe then he can hold a conversation with me.”
“Well, I offered to do him. Remember last year at your parents’ Christmas party? He may be a geek, Eric, but he is a hot one. Glasses and all.”
“Lex would so kill you for saying that.”
She laughed. “Probably, but don’t you worry about him. I’ve got him whipped and at my feet.”
“He would definitely kill you for saying that, and when you say ‘feet,’ do you mean he is a toe sucker?” I ask.
Yep, there’s my no-filter again.
“Oh, E…” She kisses me on the cheek. “Have fun with your secret lunch date, and for the record, Lex loves everything.” She winks before walking out of the room.
***
Nikki and I sit at the table and she orders a Long Island iced tea. The waiter is cute, so as he walks away, I tilt my head to check his ass. Hmm, a little too wobbly for my liking. Since we have time to kill, I bring up the subject of Miguel because I need to bitch about it. Let’s face it, he’s great apart from the whole funky spunk thing.
“I mean it was that bad, I had to use a goddamn chicken rag beside his bed to spit it out in. Thank God, it was in the dark. I don’t think he noticed.”
“Look, Eric, I’m telling you. Wheatgrass is the trick.”
“What am I gonna say, Nikki? ‘Hey, have a shot of wheatgrass juice so I don’t have to feel like I’m swallowing expired milk?’”
“No. You need to go to one of those health bars. Suggest it and mind you, they do taste like shit, but you’ll need to have one, too.”
“But my jizz is fine!”
“Okay, I’m not even going to ask how you know that, but the reason I suggest