“You literally just had to explain to him who Namrata is.”
“Okay, not sure why my boyfriend needs to know every coworker from two years ago.”
“I’m just saying, Mikey’s clearly already sensitive about Ben. Why would you want to add that to the mix right now?”
I shake my head. “You’re overthinking this. I’m not trying to hook up with him! I just want to say hi, okay? I’m in his city! He was one of my best friends—”
“He’s your ex,” Jessie says.
“And my friend! Those aren’t mutually exclusive concepts.” I shove another bite of cookie into my mouth, chewing it roughly. “Just because”—I swallow—“you don’t talk to Ethan—”
“This has nothing to do with me and Ethan.” She stands abruptly, pressing both hands to her stomach. “Wow, this cookie is dense.”
I nod vaguely, but my brain’s already miles away. Jessie running into Ben has to be some kind of sign from the universe, right? That’s not a thing that happens in New York. Not without celestial intervention. Am I supposed to just ignore that?
Mikey would understand. I’m not saying he’d be thrilled at first, but he trusts me. As he should. Because as far as personal lines in the sand go, cheating on my boyfriend is up there with voting Republican and murder. Plus Mikey did say I should see Ben if I want to see him. Which isn’t to say I, you know, want to see Ben. I just mean it doesn’t have to be a big deal. Honestly, not texting Ben would be weirder because then I’m actively avoiding him, thus proving I still have feelings for him. And I don’t. Have feelings for Ben.
So why shouldn’t I text him?
What if I just . . . did?
Chapter Five
Ben
Monday, May 18
I was the reigning champion for Most Likely to Arrive Late until Mario came along.
I check my phone, clocking him at twenty minutes late. So far. I’m not trying to be that guy who nags him about being on time. Hudson definitely wasn’t a fan of my chronic lateness while we were dating, and Arthur took it even more personally. But Mario and I aren’t dating, so I shouldn’t even be putting him in the same sentences with those two. Mario is a friend who I like—actually like—and I can’t act like he’s my boyfriend until he becomes mine.
If he even wants to.
The thing is, everything we’re doing today is for him, and now it’s going to derail our entire evening. I’ve tried calling him a couple times, but no answer. It’s not even going straight to voice mail, which would at least probably mean he’s on the subway.
I call again because I feel like an idiot waiting around like this.
“Lo sé, lo sé, lo siento,” Mario says, out of breath. “I swear I’m like fifteen minutes away . . . twenty tops.”
“Twenty minutes? What happened?”
“I had to stop my brothers from killing each other over our PlayStation, but I’m in a Lyft now making up for lost time! I packed up my uncle’s stuff and I’ll mail it at that post office on Lexington. Then I can go straight to the barber from there before Francisco cancels the appointment.”
“Yeah, we can’t have you walking around without a haircut.”
“I cannot rock a man bun like Dylan.”
I’m sure Mario could pull off any look. “All right, but the later you are, the later we’re going to be to our movie.”
“It’s on Netflix,” Mario says.
“Yeah, but my parents are going to be home by eight. So it’ll be all Netflix. No chill.”
“Or maybe no Netflix and all chill,” Mario whispers, like he doesn’t want the driver to hear.
I’ve got to cut this conversation short because I can’t walk around like this. “ándale, Colón.”
“Lo tienes, Alejo. Meet me at the post office.”
I pull up the directions on my phone and make my way over. My entire life in New York and I still don’t know the city like other veterans. It’s not like I’m going anywhere, so I have all the time in the world to master the grid. Though I wouldn’t have to worry about this at all with Mario at my side. He’s like my personal GPS, and we always joke about how I wouldn’t stand a chance in any apocalypse. I guess we’ll have to see how I do after he leaves for his trip to Los Angeles this weekend.
Mario’s uncle moved to LA a few years ago and started a production company. Close Call Entertainment focuses on jump-scare horrors, creepy science fictions, end-of-the-world thrillers. Mario’s favorite genre has always been suspense—maybe I should read between the lines there—and I know he’s looking forward to spending some more time with his uncle, who has always felt like a second father to him, and is eager to show Mario the ropes on the TV side of things.