do. I’m embarrassed that Lore saw me looking—”
“Like an ignorant, useless excuse for a man? You’re pathetic.”
“You’re an ass.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too.”
* * * *
Woman, you need to put your human disguise on and come out to celebr8 w/ us!
Kathy was far too persistent in her endeavor to include Lore in all the things she most decidedly did not want to be included in. Was it so hard for this woman to accept that three separate celebrations regarding the lawsuit victory were unnecessary? Really, Lore understood why Kathy felt the need to spread the joy she felt. Kathy was, after all, one of the main reasons Lore had set out on her mission to catch the asshole red-handed in the first place.
But now that it was over, she wanted to forget the whole ordeal had ever happened. The conniving and planning just reminded Lore of what she had the potential to become. She was happy for Kathy’s newfound freedom; she really was. But Lore thought it best she leave the celebrating to those who didn’t need to put a disguise on in order to act human, as Kathy seemed to think Lore was required to do in order to merely mingle.
She switched the phone to Do Not Disturb and popped it back into her purse, turning to the list she’d begun to write. She loved lists almost as much as she loved spreadsheets. Creating and checking off the items one by one was the most satisfying feeling.
“Well, hello there, pretty lady.” The deep tonality of Kieran’s voice made her heart skip a beat.
She hadn’t seen Kieran and Nolan since the flat-tire incident the week before, something she had taken an immense amount of pleasure in, and of course they looked just as handsome as they had sitting on top of a car or sweaty and filthy on the side of the road. She had especially liked the filthy part.
“Mr. McDowell, Mr. Roscoe. How are you both?”
“Lore, if you don’t drop that formal shit, we’re gonna have a problem in our next class,” Kieran joked, acknowledging her use of the formal as her own particular brand of sarcasm.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it.” She gestured to the seats across from her. “Would you like to join me? I promise to try and not be so formal.”
“You sure?” Kieran narrowed his eyes as he and his boyfriend sat. “I realize we can only ask so much of you before you combust.”
“You know, you’re not the first person to think me capable of spontaneous combustion.”
“Who was the first?” Nolan asked, his arresting eyes focusing on her, eyes that had been turned down in embarrassment as she had shown him step-by-step how to change a tire the week before. It had been adorable and somewhat enlightening, seeing him in a guise other than his confident-lawyer role.
“College roommate.”
“Wow, I can’t picture you all wide-eyed and eager to learn in college,” Kieran remarked, crossing his legs and arms, his head tilted as he stared at her as if he were trying to construct the image of her younger self right there. “Were you all wild and crazy? Did you stay in a dorm?”
“Yes, I lived in the dorms. My mother thought it would be good for me, spending time with peers and attempting to be social.” And it didn’t hurt that she would no longer have to look at her daughter—a constant reminder of her husband. “And, no, I was not wild and crazy…at first.” Lore would never know what made her admit to that little fact. But something about seeing the men together once more put her at ease while simultaneously keeping her on her toes. She hadn’t realized it until the moment they sat down and trained their eyes on her, but Lore was lonely. She wanted to have a conversation. And she wanted to have one with them more than anybody else. Seeing them randomly the past couple of weeks and getting only teases of interaction with them had left her wanting more.
“What about you?” she asked before they could pursue her college years further. “Did you do the whole
“Like an ignorant, useless excuse for a man? You’re pathetic.”
“You’re an ass.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too.”
* * * *
Woman, you need to put your human disguise on and come out to celebr8 w/ us!
Kathy was far too persistent in her endeavor to include Lore in all the things she most decidedly did not want to be included in. Was it so hard for this woman to accept that three separate celebrations regarding the lawsuit victory were unnecessary? Really, Lore understood why Kathy felt the need to spread the joy she felt. Kathy was, after all, one of the main reasons Lore had set out on her mission to catch the asshole red-handed in the first place.
But now that it was over, she wanted to forget the whole ordeal had ever happened. The conniving and planning just reminded Lore of what she had the potential to become. She was happy for Kathy’s newfound freedom; she really was. But Lore thought it best she leave the celebrating to those who didn’t need to put a disguise on in order to act human, as Kathy seemed to think Lore was required to do in order to merely mingle.
She switched the phone to Do Not Disturb and popped it back into her purse, turning to the list she’d begun to write. She loved lists almost as much as she loved spreadsheets. Creating and checking off the items one by one was the most satisfying feeling.
“Well, hello there, pretty lady.” The deep tonality of Kieran’s voice made her heart skip a beat.
She hadn’t seen Kieran and Nolan since the flat-tire incident the week before, something she had taken an immense amount of pleasure in, and of course they looked just as handsome as they had sitting on top of a car or sweaty and filthy on the side of the road. She had especially liked the filthy part.
“Mr. McDowell, Mr. Roscoe. How are you both?”
“Lore, if you don’t drop that formal shit, we’re gonna have a problem in our next class,” Kieran joked, acknowledging her use of the formal as her own particular brand of sarcasm.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it.” She gestured to the seats across from her. “Would you like to join me? I promise to try and not be so formal.”
“You sure?” Kieran narrowed his eyes as he and his boyfriend sat. “I realize we can only ask so much of you before you combust.”
“You know, you’re not the first person to think me capable of spontaneous combustion.”
“Who was the first?” Nolan asked, his arresting eyes focusing on her, eyes that had been turned down in embarrassment as she had shown him step-by-step how to change a tire the week before. It had been adorable and somewhat enlightening, seeing him in a guise other than his confident-lawyer role.
“College roommate.”
“Wow, I can’t picture you all wide-eyed and eager to learn in college,” Kieran remarked, crossing his legs and arms, his head tilted as he stared at her as if he were trying to construct the image of her younger self right there. “Were you all wild and crazy? Did you stay in a dorm?”
“Yes, I lived in the dorms. My mother thought it would be good for me, spending time with peers and attempting to be social.” And it didn’t hurt that she would no longer have to look at her daughter—a constant reminder of her husband. “And, no, I was not wild and crazy…at first.” Lore would never know what made her admit to that little fact. But something about seeing the men together once more put her at ease while simultaneously keeping her on her toes. She hadn’t realized it until the moment they sat down and trained their eyes on her, but Lore was lonely. She wanted to have a conversation. And she wanted to have one with them more than anybody else. Seeing them randomly the past couple of weeks and getting only teases of interaction with them had left her wanting more.
“What about you?” she asked before they could pursue her college years further. “Did you do the whole
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