Free Weird Girl and What's His Name by Meagan Brothers Page B

can make this Utah thing work. Cindy and me. What’s done is done.” He waved it off and looked up at me with a coy smile. “In the meantime, why don’t you come over tonight and let me make it up to you?”
    â€œUm. Okay.”
    The cowbell on the front door clanked.
    â€œThat’s a customer,” Andy said, skittish as usual. He pushed the stockroom door open and was gone back out into the store before I could say anything else. I set the Harry Potters on the restock cart and just stood there, listening to Andy and the customer, the customer ordering an Americano, Andy ringing him up, the bell clanking again. I ambled out, pushing the cart in front of me.
    â€œCan I ask you something?”
    â€œShoot,” Andy said. He was counting bills in the register.
    â€œWhat made you marry her in the first place?”
    â€œCindy?” He didn’t look up from his counting.
    â€œYeah. I mean, did you do it just to cover up that you were gay? Or did you really have feelings for her?”
    â€œI loved her. I thought I did, anyway.”
    â€œBut it just . . . went away?”
    â€œNot all of a sudden.” Andy stopped counting. “It wasn’t like I woke up one day and had this revelation. It was more like . . . all these little attractions I had to other men . . . finally I realized that I couldn’t ignore it anymore, and if I really loved Cindy, and myself, for both our sakes, I’d leave her so that we could both . . . so we could both be more complete. So I could figure out who I was and let her be free to marry someone else.” His face turned pained again. “I guess I didn’t think she’d actually go and do it.”
    â€œWhat do we have in common?” I asked him.
    â€œWhat?” Andy closed the register. “You and me?”
    â€œNo. Me and Cindy. I mean, how did you fall in love with both of us?”
    He didn’t answer. He smiled and touched my arm, the slightest touch as he walked past me, back to the stockroom to get more small bills, and I felt my heart warm toward him again.
    â€œI CAN ’ T BELIEVE IT. R ORY. I cannot believe you’re actually fucking your boss.”
    â€œShh, Lula, damn!” She was waiting on my porch, in the dark, when I got back from Andy’s. Between us fighting last night and the Coach Morris thing this afternoon and Andy wanting to make it up to me, I’d completely forgotten that Lula and I were supposed to meet up at my house to study for Mrs. Lidell’s midterm. I retraced my steps in my head. I’d come home after work to drop off my stuff and shower, and I went over to Andy’s instead. Lula must have just gotten here, she must have seen me cutting through the woods and followed me. And now she was back here, waiting. I fumbled with my house keys, dropping them somewhere in the dark near my shoe.
    â€œYou don’t know what you’re talking about,” I insisted. Hoping my mother was passed out in her room upstairs, or else still out with the guys from work, somewhere out of earshot of Lula, who was shouting loud enough to wake up the whole street.
    â€œI’ll tell you what I’m talking about! I’m talking about you and that creep Andy Barnett—”
    â€œFirst of all, could you please lower your voice?” I was on my hands and knees now, feeling around for my keys. Why didn’t I leave the damn porch light on? “Whatever you saw, it’s not what you think—”
    â€œOkay, then, if I didn’t see what I’m pretty sure I saw, then what the hell did I see? Because it looked a lot like you and Andy taking each other’s clothes off and—”
    â€œDammit, Lula, shut up! Just shut the hell up!” I stood up, keys in hand. “It’s none of your business!” My heart was going about five thousand beats a second. I kind of thought that maybe I could still convince her that she hadn’t seen what