Free Face Time by S. J. Pajonas

puffs, Sandra’s voice filters into my head. “You live like a college student, Lee. It’s so depressing. ” Maybe for her.
    My iPhone and iPad both light up at the kitchen table at 7:55am. She’s early. I set my iPad up and sit down at the table with the light facing me and accept the call.
    “Hi.” Laura smiles at me, and my stomach flips over, but I reach out and take a screenshot. The more photos I have of her the better. She’s sitting on her bed, her hair pulled back loosely over one shoulder, with a brown paper bag next to her. “I hope this is another dinner date because I picked up food on the way home.”
    “Hi, Laura,” I say, relaxing in her presence like I did during the first date. “It’s good to see you.”
    “It’s good to see you, Lee. You look better rested.” She reaches into the bag next to her and pulls out a styrofoam container.
    “I am. I slept through the entire night. Didn’t even need to take anything. I’m happy to be back in Seoul.”
    “I’m sure.” She squints and leans into the camera. “Are you eating? Do I see a bowl? Eat with me. I got falafel.”
    “Oh. Falafel.” My mouth immediately starts to water. “I haven’t had Middle Eastern food in forever. I may have to seek someplace out while I’m here. I’m eating cereal. It’s the only thing left in the apartment.”
    “You had milk, though,” she says, pointing her finger at me.
    “I keep those boxes of the shelf-stable soy milk around and pop one in the fridge before I leave on a trip. That way it’s cold and ready when I come back.”
    “Good idea.”
    We both take a few bites of our food and chew in silence for a moment, and it’s the same kind of easy quietude we had on our first date. I’m taking the time to memorize her face. She has almost flawless skin, gentle arching eyebrows, and a long straight nose. I love how soft the short hairs around her ears are. She reaches up and tucks them back, a curl falling out across her face.  
    “Are you on your computer?” she asks, and I pull back from the iPad. I hope I wasn’t drooling.
    “No, I have an iPad, too.”
    “Me too. Technology and clothes are the only things I splurge on nowadays.” My attention shifts to her falafel sandwich which looks so good my stomach rumbles. That’s kind of cruel. My cereal is unappetizing and soggy so I push the bowl away.
    “Let me see your setup. Take a picture with your iPhone and send it to me.”
    “Okay.” She picks up her phone and points it at me. “Smile.” A few seconds later, my iPhone blinks with her message and photo. “I have one of those breakfast-in-bed trays for nights when I want to relax in my bedroom.”
    The photo shows her bed, the iPad set on top of a tray, but my eyes focus on the pile of clothes on her floor. “I spy with my little eye…” I play this game with Evie, but it’s things like a red truck or a green trash can, never a black bra.
    “Oh, Lee. I saw that in the photo, and I was hoping you’d overlook it.”
    “Not likely.”
    Her neck blushes, and she takes another bite, letting me stew and think about where that bra has been. This “relationship” of ours is only a few hours old, and it’s already a hundred times better than my last two girlfriends.
    “What did you end up doing on Sunday?” I ask, detouring the conversation from the sexy avenue it had turned on.
    “I ran some errands, went to the gym to lift weights, then went on a walk with Theresa.” She wipes her mouth and sets aside her falafel.
    “Your pregnant friend, right? Are you and Theresa good friends?”
    “Yeah, she’s my best friend in New York. We were roommates freshman year at NYU, both undeclared majors. I chose English and she chose Education. We kept in touch after school when she did Teach for America and I traveled, then both ended back up here.”
    “Did you tell Theresa about me?”
    She smiles and drinks from a glass of water. “Of course I did.”
    “I told Cori about you. Well,