Page 32 of Bless This Hot Mess

Ronald, still fiddling with the edge of his shorts, glanced at them both. “It looks big to me,” he said with a flirty smirk.

Japheth leaned in conspiratorially, grinning, “And whenwelook at a guy like you…”

Rebekkah leaned in with a playful smile, “Sure, we might think, what a snack!”

“But we’re also thinking,” Japheth continued, his voice dropping to an exaggerated whisper, “what’s he packing? A great, big…”

“Secret,” Rebekkah finished, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “But it’s no secret to us!”

Japheth nodded, his grin widening, “We can see it a mile away!”

Ronald laughed, shaking his head as Rebekkah added, “When you’re flying through the air on the basketball court…”

“Or just standing there,” Japheth interjected. “Confidently singing and letting it all hang out.”

“When we seethat,” Rebekkah said, motioning toward Ronald with a sweeping gesture, “we’re not thinking, what a munchkin!”

“Definitely not,” Japheth confirmed, folding his arms and shaking his head for emphasis.

“We’re thinking, he’s not short at all. Not where it counts!” Rebekkah declared with conviction.

“Ronald, you’ve got a great, big…” Japheth paused dramatically, then added, “... talent!”

Ronald’s eyebrows raised, “Oh. I thought we were talking about…”

“And you know what, Ronald?” Rebekkah interrupted with a laugh. “We’re not short where it counts either.”

Japheth suddenly stood taller, filled with resolve. “Screw those Globetrotters!”

“I was gonna…” Ronald started, but Rebekkah cut in again.

“Yeah, screw those Globetrotters!”

“I was gonna!” Ronald laughed, finally catching their energy, though he did sound a bit like a kid on Christmas morning disappointed to not geteverythinghe’d wished for.

Rebekkah wrapped an arm around his shoulders, “Well, they’re just missing out on a really big thing–you.”

Ronald’s expression softened and caught off guard by their mix of humour and genuine admiration, he let out a small laugh, “You guys are… something else.”

Rebekkah shrugged, a playful smile spreading across her face, “We know. But, Ronald, you don’t need the Globetrotters to find your people. You’ve already got us.”

The ticket booth agent’s voice crackled over the bus station intercom, “Bus two-thirty-six to Los Angeles is now boarding. Have your tickets ready.”

“This is us, Rebekkah,” Japheth said, shouldering his backpack.

“Unless we’re going to Toronto?” Rebekkah ping ponged indecisively.

Ronald, still frustrated by his rejection from the Globetrotters, had a different idea. “Wait a minute!” He blurted out. “Would you two think I’m a big jerk if I… well, if I asked you to stay?”

Japheth’s eyes widened in disbelief, “Are we having a romantic comedy moment right now?”

Rebekkah gasped, grabbing Japheth’s arm, “It’s happening!”

“Is he… asking us both?” Japheth sputtered and let his backpack slide off his shoulder to the floor so he could comb his fingers through his curls to parent them into place.

“Shhh!” Rebekkah waved her hand dramatically, adopting a Mid-Atlantic accent. “Don’t interrupt the moment. I think I’m swooning already.”

Japheth grinned, “Go on, Ronald.”