Page 65 of Let's Kiss and Tell

Marsh:

How are you feeling?

Lucy:

I’ve finally managed to fight off the headache from this morning. You?

Marsh:

Good. I was wondering if we could talk?

Lucy:

Are you going to break up with me?

Marsh:

Can I break up with someone who I’m technically not really dating?

Ouch.

Lucy:

I’m low on tinted moisturizer. I was going to the mall to restock. Want to come?

Marsh:

Just let me know when and where

Lucy:

The Grove at 3:30?

Marsh:

See you soon

The Grove isn’t just one of LA’s most popular shopping centers, it’s one of the biggest tourist attractions too. The outdoor mall is manufactured to feel like high-end retail and at the same time a picture-perfect day out. From the farmers market to the infamous trolley that brings you around the charming fountain, I almost understand why I pay five dollars an hour for parking. It’s my karma for willingly choosing to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

Marsh is already seated on the bench outside of the Apple Store, hunched over his knees and typing on his phone. He’s back to wearing forest green shirts with glasses and jeans. I don’t know how it happened but suddenly everything this man does exudes…hot.

“Hey,” I say.

His eyes shoot up and he stands. “Hey, how’s it going?”

Then there’s this weird thing that happens where I keep walking toward him, and for whatever reason…give him a hug. It’s one of those things where I’m very much aware that I don’t need to be hugging him, but I’ve committed to the bit, and his bodyfeels lean and big and he most definitely smells like fresh laundry and some kind of woodsy body wash. His arm wraps around my back, and we’re standing in the middle of the mall hugging.

“Good.” I cough and step back. If he catches my awkwardness, he doesn’t show it.

We start walking toward Sephora. There’s an awkward silence in the air mixed with Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon” playing on the outdoor sound system. “So…” he starts, “tinted moisturizer.”

This is not a great start to a conversation. “Yes, have you heard of it?”

“I’m assuming it’s a moisturizer that’s…tinted.”

“Don’t tell me Julia’s face was so perfect she didn’t need to wear tinted moisturizer.”

He thinks for a moment. “I have no idea what she used.”