3.34 Simflix and…

I went home to shower and change before heading down the street to Chi Chi’s house. It would be rude to show up in my gym clothes, smelling like dried sweat, right? I really wish Mama hadn’t planted the Simflix and Chill idea in my head because it was all I’d be able to think about the entire night. Every movement, every glance, every sigh. I’d wonder if it was “the move” and if I was about to lose my virginity. I showered way longer than I intended, trying to calm myself and relax. We didn’t know each other like that, so why would she all of a sudden put the moves on me? And if she did, I could let it happen, or say no. I was in control. Still, it would have been nice to not see it coming.

I stood on the sidewalk when I arrived, taking a few last deep breaths before knocking on the door. Just have fun tonight…whatever that looks like, I told myself. Don’t overthink it… It’s okay to say no if you’re not ready.

“Hi,” she said excitedly, answering the door. “You made it!”

“Yeah… Sorry I’m late.”

“Nooo, you’re right on time! It just started. Come in! We’re in here. Oooh! You smell nice!”

My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“I just showered. You said we?“

She showed me to the living room.

“My daughter. I know I shouldn’t let her watch it, but…”

I exhaled all the tension I let build up and relaxed. Maybe, one day, we could revisit the whole Simflix and Chill thing. Or not! But tonight, it was just good ol’ fashioned chilling, and I was more than okay with that.

“Hey Karmi Karms,” she said to the girl. “This is my friend Luca! Ooh, I should pee first. Be right back. Be good!”

She was a cute kid, of course, looking just like her mother. They even shared the same fashion sense and wore stylish hats with their outfits.

“Hey there,” I said, sitting next to her. “What’s your name?”

“Karmine.”

“Hi, Karmine. I’m Luca. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Where do you live?” she asked.

“Right down the street, actually.”

“How do you know my mom?”

“Uhh…we…she came to welcome us to the neighborhood when we moved in.”

Tiny beads of sweat formed across my brow.

“Oh. Are you gonna be my new dad?”

“Wait, what?”

“Are you?” she asked, with extra attitude.

I didn’t mean to hesitate. I just wasn’t expecting an interrogation. And she was so good at it!

“Ummmm…no. No, I… No. Your mom and I are just friends.”

“Okay!”

She smiled and went back to watching the show. I felt like a guilty man on trial and I hadn’t done anything yet. It was kinda cute though. She was just protecting her mother, just like I used to when I was her age. Hell, like I still do.

“Do you like this show?” she asked. “It’s the bestest show ever!”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“WHAAAAAT! Don’t worry, Luca! I’ll tell you allllllllll about it.”

She went up to the TV and pointed out all the characters and their relationships with each other. It was honestly quite impressive. Still, I wondered how she got so attached to such an adult show.

The first commercial break came on, and she hit me with the most random question.

“Have you ever seen a real llama?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve never even been to a farm before. Have you?”

“Nope! Mom says they SPIT! That’s soooo gross!”

“Eww…that is gross.”

“I like you, Luca!”

“Oh, uhhh…you’re pretty cool too.”

“The show is back on,” she yelled.

She was a talker just like Chi Chi and was so interesting to watch. Less and I didn’t watch a lot of TV growing up. Dad didn’t have cable, and we spent as much time with Mama as possible when we lived with him. By the time we lived with her, I was obsessed with yoga and spent time doing that.

“Have you been to jail?” she asked.

I guess it was a relevant question, given what we were watching, but it still felt odd. Kids really did say the darndest things.

“No, I have not been to jail.”

“Whew! Sorry about that,” Chi Chi said, plopping between us. “I think I overdid it on the water today.”

“It’s cool,” I said. “Karmine was just filling me in on the show.”

She narrowed her eyes at the girl.

“I bet she was. She’ll talk your ear off if you let her. She didn’t say anything embarrassing, did she?”

Karmine started giggling, and Chi Chi’s eyes pleaded with me to say she had nothing to be embarrassed about.

“Uhhhhhhhh…she was just…being a kid!”

“Oh Watcher, what did she say?”

“Don’t worry about it, really.”