Part 9 (2/2)
She laughed. ”OK, OK. Bone thrown.”
”I'm sorry, I totally suck. I know I suck.”
”It's all right. I know you've been crazy busy getting rich and famous. Are you having fun?”
I looked at the boxes of Honey products stacked around my living room. ”Hmm. Fun? I'm not sure I'd call it that yet. I could call it exciting maybe, but fun would be a stretch because I'm stressed out and exhausted, and you're not supposed to be stressed out and exhausted if you're having fun, right? Plus, I think stressed out and fun might be mutually exclusive. Are they mutually exclusive?”
”Good lord, girl. Chill. Deep breaths, deep breaths.”
I laughed and leaned back into the couch. ”I'm sorry. I think I'm losing it. You know how much sleep I need, and it's just not happening right now.”
”How many hours a night are you getting?”
I yawned and scrunched up my face. ”Six? Maybe seven on a good day?”
”For real? You can't survive on six hours.”
”Tell me about it. I think I'm keeping the local coffee shop in business.”
”At least you're contributing to the economy. Look at it that way.”
”Ha. Soon I'll be putting their kids through college. So tell me about you. I'm sick of me. What's new out there? What's going on with Nick?”
”Nick is good.”
”Are you guys good? Is he still the funniest man I've ever met?” Andie was dating my former coworker Nick Prodromou, a quick-witted teddy bear with a huge heart.
”He's good, we're good, and yes, he's still funny. He made Diet c.o.ke come out of my nose the other night.”
”Again?”
”Again. He was doing his Chewbacca voice. It gets me every time.”
”Awesome. I miss that guy.” Andie never exercised but she had told me she was getting a six-pack from laughing so hard all the time.
”He misses you too. He's always asking when you're going to come back to visit the little people who knew you way back when. He thinks you've forgotten us already.”
”Yeah, like I could ever forget you guys. I can't believe he makes you laugh so hard that Diet c.o.ke comes out of your nose. Do you know how lucky you are?”
”Tell me about it. I can't believe I have a boyfriend. It's so not me. You know what I mean?”
”I totally know what you mean. But having a girlfriend is so not him either, which is what makes you two perfect for each other.”
”I keep thinking I'm going to freak out and run.”
”Please don't, Andie. He's great.”
”I know he is. But you know me and commitment.”
”Stop it. You're not going to freak out and run.”
”He asked me to move in with him.”
I sat up straight. ”What?”
”Yep.”
”When?”
”Last week.”
”What did you say?”
”I told him I'd think about it. I mean, agreeing to date exclusively is one kind of commitment, but giving up a rent-controlled apartment is on a whole different level. Am I right?”
I nodded into the phone. ”You're totally right. That's practically like getting married!”
”I know! I mean, what if it doesn't work out? What if he starts acting like a v.a.g.i.n.a and I have to bail?”
I coughed. ”What?”
”You heard me. My policy is that there's only room for one v.a.g.i.n.a in my house, and it belongs to me.”
I laughed. ”You have a policy for that?”
”Yep.”
”You kill me.”
”I'm just being real. You know my job requires client dinners and evening events several times a week, and Nick can be a little whiny about my schedule sometimes. I don't know if I could deal with that twenty-four/seven. I love him to death, but when he starts acting like a girl, G.o.d help me, I want to pop him one.”
I laughed again. ”I have no idea how to respond to that.”
”If he gets too clingy and I have to pull the rip cord, where does that leave me? Without a place to live, that's where.”
”Would he consider moving in to your place?”
”No way. My apartment is too small for two people. If a big guy like Nick moved in here, he'd break something within the hour. Then I'd definitely kill him.”
”So when are you going to decide? This is huge!”
”I'm not sure. I was thinking maybe I'd come visit you for a girls' weekend to help me think about it. Are you around the weekend before Christmas? It would be sweet to celebrate my birthday in New York.”
I jumped up from the couch and practically shouted into the phone. ”Yes! Come to New York! Come to New York!” I didn't realize until that moment how much I missed her, how much I missed home, how much I missed just hanging out with her and McKenna on a regular basis.
”Down girl. I need to check flights first.”
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