Voices – Page 36
“So?” Jen asked.
Brian gave her a casual glance. “So what?”
John laughed. “Look at him play it cool. Nice, Brian.”
John had replaced his coffee table. Jen and Brian were sitting across from each other at it, eating sandwiches and potato chips. John was stretched out on the couch behind Jen.
John’s bookcase was still in a pile in the corner, and there were a few other destroyed objects scattered around. Brian had noticed these, and glanced at Jen, who had simply rolled her eyes and shook her head. Brian had opted not to mention it further.
“Oh, you want to know about Susannah!” Brian said, effecting surprise.
“If Susannah is the nurse we sent you home with last night, then yes, I do.” Jen said in a dry voice. Brian grinned.
“She’s a very nice young lady. Very… accommodating.”
John laughed again, but withheld comment.
“Did you bang her?” Jen asked. Brian nearly choked, swallowed, and looked up at Jen.
“You’re really good at doing that to me,” he said.
“Answer the question, dammit!” Jen said, grinning.
Brian shook his head. “No,” he said. “I didn’t bang her.”
“Well Jesus Christ, Brian!” Jen looked put out. “How the hell am I supposed to live vicariously through you?”
“I don’t know, Jen. Why don’t you go sleep with her?”
“Bah, that’s not what I mean. Did you do anything?”
“We did lots of things, yes. Just not that.”
“Why not? Come on, man, she must’ve offered.”
Brian looked embarrassed. “You’ll think I’m an idiot,” he said.
Jen stuck her tongue out at him. “I already think you’re an idiot. You can’t make it worse. Come on, Brian. It’s okay. Were you nervous?”
“No, Christ, nervousness went out the door about six seconds after we walked into her apartment. I… she was ready to go, and I was thinking about it pretty seriously but… I don’t know her, you know? I don’t love her.”
“Aww. That’s sweet, Brian. Seriously.” Jen gave him a soft, friendly smile.
“It is,” John said. “Very sweet, and nothing to feel bad about. You will regret it when you’re eighty, though. Mark my words.”
Brian shrugged. “Probably. It was still a pretty good night.”
“She handled it well, then?” Jen asked.
“Sure. She said there was lots of fun we could have, and I agreed. Enthusiastically. For most of the night. And then also in the morning. Sorry I’m so late, by the way.”
Jen leaned back against John’s couch, laughing and clapping her hands.
“You going to see her again, Brian?” John asked. Jen’s head was resting near his hand, and he took the opportunity to touch her hair. She jumped a bit, but then smiled at him, and didn’t move her head away. Brian’s glance flicked over and then away again.
“I don’t know,” Brian said. He stretched, yawned, and continued. “I mean, yes… but I don’t know for how long. We had fun. No doubt about that. But I think she’s looking for someone a little more, uh… challenging. Also she kind of freaked out when I told her I was nineteen.”
“Freaked out in a bad way?” Jen asked.
“Not like screaming or anything, but I think it kind of blew her mind. She’s twenty eight. She said she felt like she was robbing the cradle. I like her though… I hope she’ll get over it. After last night, she could be sixty for all I care.”
Jen laughed again. She leaned forward, finished the last of her sandwich, and grabbed the paper wrapping and took it over to the tiny kitchen in the corner, where the trash can was.
She returned to the couch and tapped John on the legs. He pulled his legs up, giving her space, and she sat down, leaning halfway against the back of the couch and halfway against the arm, looking at both of them. Her expression was serious.
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s talk.”
