it out, Charlie!”
“Fiiine. We sorta, maybe kissed last night. But it wasn’t a real kiss—”
“How was it not a real kiss?” Indie interrupts, confused. “Did your lips touch?”
“Well yes—”
“Then it was a real kiss.”
“No, because it was for…research purposes?” It comes out more like a question than an answer, but I can’t think of a better description of what our kiss was.
“Research purposes?”
“Yeah. He asked why I wouldn’t give his friend, Conner, my number, and I told him it’s because I get too nervous around the opposite sex. He mentioned how I’m not nervous around him and asked if he could help me get more comfortable with other guys.”
“So, he offered to kiss you?” Indie’s voice is laced with disbelief, and I can tell she’s sitting on pins and needles, fully invested in the story.
“Yup.”
“And then you kissed?”
“Yup.”
“For research purposes?”
I laugh, dryly. “Sure did.”
“Hmmm…,” she hums for what feels like the tenth time in this conversation. “How was it?”
Covering my face, I try to find my voice, but it’s gone into hiding––along with my pride.
“That good, huh?” she teases.
I nod, still refusing to look at her.
“Was there tongue?”
“Indie!” I squeal.
“What?” Raising her hands in surrender, she gives me an innocent look. “I’m just trying to figure out what he might’ve been thinking.”
“Fine. Yes. There was tongue.”
“How long did it last?”
I look up toward the ceiling and try to come up with a ballpark estimate. I replay the encounter until I’m positive the tip of my head and all the way down to my toes is the color of a tomato.
“That long?!”
“I didn’t give you a number yet!” I argue.
“Which means you had to do the math! If it were a two-second kiss, you’d be able to say two seconds like this!” She snaps her fingers. “Which means it was a hell of a lot longer than an experimental kiss that was only meant to make you more comfortable around the opposite sex, which is a bullshit excuse in the first place, by the way.”
“It sounded pretty logical at the time,” I offer, sheepishly.
“I’m sure it did. But let’s be honest. If you’re in love with him, which you obviously are, then he could’ve said he had to make out with you for a challenge like the ice bucket one a few years ago, and it would’ve sounded just as logical to you. Only this time, you have to make out with your platonic best friend and film it in an effort to save the whales or something instead of helping people understand ALS.”
“Good point,” I admit under my breath.
“Exactly. Now. The question is, why did he kiss you if he was going to turn around and give your number to his friend?”
I shrug. “No idea.”
As Indie taps her finger against her chin, her eyes glaze over, considering all the possibilities.
“Hmmm….”
“You’ve been saying that a lot this morning.”
“Because you’ve been giving me a lot to think about,” she quips without blinking an eye. “Tell me this. Who do you want? Levi? Or Conner? I mean, I know you want Levi. But do you think you could be happy with Conner too?”
My heart plummets into my stomach as I even consider letting Levi go. But let’s face it, if I want to be happy, I’ve got to get out there instead of waiting around for a certain friend to see me as something more.
Glancing at a very intrigued Indie, I admit, “I don’t know…. I’ve always wanted Levi. But I’m also sick of waiting for him to notice me. It’s been years. And that kiss messed with my head. Especially when he turned around and practically shoved me into his friend’s arms right after it.”
“Yeah. That’s the part I can’t wrap my head around,” Indie admits. “I say we use it to our advantage, though.”
“Our?”
“Hey! I’m as invested in this as you are.”
Throwing my head back, I laugh at the ludicrousness of the situation then wave my hand through the air. “Well, alright, then. How do we use it to our advantage?”
“We rub his nose in it. Let Levi see exactly what he’s missing out on. You’ve always been there waiting for him to get his head out of his ass and give you a real chance. Now, we’re going to make him think like he’s lost it.”
“So, we’re going to use Conner? I don’t know how I feel about that.” It still feels weird to say we when it’s definitely going to be me who uses him, but I appreciate the