I want to reassure Veronica I know precisely what she’s felt with her jackass of an ex-boyfriend, but at the same time, I don’t want to her to dwell on it.

We head back to where I parked, and I take her home. Making out again before she heads inside her house, I can still taste her when I get back home and hear the moaning coming from Taylor’s room.

“Seriously?” I grumble.

The erotic noises coming from his room, combined with thinking of Veronica and remembering her lips just a little bit ago, cause me to jump in the shower. There’s a knock at the door before Taylor swings it open without waiting.

“What the hell?” I yell.

“Dude, we have extra condoms, right?” He starts rummaging through a cabinet.

“Get the hell out!”

He shakes his head, laughing. “Calm down, why are you freaking out?” He turns and eyes me suspiciously. “Holy shit, were you just jacking off?”

“Get out, Taylor!”

He turns around, still laughing, grabbing the extra box before leaving.

“Asshole,” I mutter.

Throwing on my headphones after the shower to muffle out any noise coming from Taylor’s room, I decide to send a text message to Veronica before going to sleep.

The bubbles on my phone pop up before disappearing. I wait nervously, wondering if I shouldn’t have asked for one. She seems concerned with her weight, so maybe she doesn’t like to take pictures of herself. I’m not lying to her when I tell her she’s sexy. She is. She might not think of herself that way, maybe because of how sexy is supposed to look based off magazines and TV shows. Or perhaps it has to do with her dickhead of an ex-boyfriend. Probably a combination of those things. But I do like her. I do think she’s beautiful. Now I really want her to send me a picture.

My phone vibrates.

It’s a dark picture that looks like she’s on her bed with a lamp next to her. She’s giving me a timid smile, nibbling on her lip, and I can see the straps of her bra and the top of her cleavage, leaving me wanting to see the rest of it.

She sends me a shocked emoji followed by a sly smile emoji.

I stare down at my sheets that are now stiffer than usual. No, Micah. Do not send her a dick pic. You’re not Taylor. “Idiot,” I mumble and then take a picture of myself from the chest up, giving her a smirk.

I get three drooling face emojis in reply.

I let out a laugh, thankful that she either thinks I’m joking or is taking it a jokingly way. Because I’m being completely honest.

The next day we decide to hit up Venice Beach, strolling the boardwalk, and end up stopping by one of the street performers who’s performing magic. A small crowd around him pays attention as he pulls out a gold coin from his pocket, waving his hand around as if he’s going to make the coin disappear. Seeming to get distracted, the coin falls to the ground.

“Oops,” he laughs, and picks it up. The crowd laughs along as he tries the trick again and again the coin falls. “Okay, I just learned this trick last night. So, let me try this one more time.”

He walks over to us and looks at me. “Sir, mind if I borrow your girlfriend?” Veronica looks up at me and starts to blush.

“I don’t know,” I answer, giving her a smile. “I kind of like her.”

“I just need her hand,” he says and picks it up. “Abracadabra!” he shouts. Again, the coin falls to the ground. “Okay, something’s wrong.” More people laugh as he scratches his head. “Hmm, maybe …” He rubs his chin and stares at me. “Yes, yes, this is what I’m doing wrong. Here,” he says, handing me Veronica’s hand. “Now, do exactly as I say, and this trick should finally work.”

Pulling out a magic wand from his pocket, he waves it in the air. Putting the coin in her hand, he shakes the wand again. “Okay, now you, sir, put your hand over hers.” I do as his instructs. “Yes, yes. Very good. Okay, now, abracadabra! Bippity, boppity, toil and trouble! Let the magic power, turn this coin into a flower! Shazam!”

A hush falls over everyone. I raise an eyebrow at Veronica who’s giggling.

“I said, shazam!” he yells again, wiggling his fingers at our hands, which are still placed on top of one another. “Ahem!” he coughs loudly, making us both look at him. “Shazam means to move your hands, lovebirds.” More laughs from the crowd.

I take my hand away from hers, and the gold coin is gone, replaced with a red, origami paper rose. Everyone around us applauds.

“Thank you! Thank you!” He takes a bow for everyone as the crowd starts to disperse. Pulling out a few bills, I put them in his top hat he has placed out in front.

Taking the paper rose from her, he puts a small green wire through the middle of it and then hands it back to her. “For you, my dear.” She smiles, but before she can take it, I grab it from his hand.

“Whoa there, buddy, don’t try to move in on my girl.” He raises his hands in apology and backs away.

Veronica looks up at me. “Your girl, huh?”

I shrug with a smirk, tucking the flower through her hair. “Absolutely. If you want.”

Adjusting the flower, she takes my hands, giving me a smile. “I want.”

We spend a little more time walking around and then head back to the apartment, where I turn on New Girl, and we watch a few episodes before we start making out again.

Things are escalating and I know I want this girl, and from how she’s reacting I know she feels the same. Just as I’m pulling my shirt off, our front door opens and closes. I figure, or at least I hope, Taylor won’t bother to say anything, but of course, he does.

“Yo, Micah, I’m gonna order some pizza, you want anything?”

“Uh, no,” I shout out from my room. I’m leaning over Veronica, who’s holding a giggle back.

“Okay.” I’m just about to start kissing her again when he says, “Hey, just a heads up, Lana came into the gym looking for you.”

Veronica’s smile fades. She stares up at me, and I let out a sigh, closing my eyes and shaking my head.

“I tried telling her it’s over for you, but she just begged me to give her your schedule,” he continues. “Don’t worry, I didn’t. And I said you were out again with that Cynthia girl you hooked up with when you guys broke up the first time. She didn’t seem to like that and left.”

“Great. Thanks,” I reply somberly, now sitting next to Veronica.

“Shit, I left my wallet at work. I’ll be back.”

We hear the door open and close again. I let out another sigh. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s … it’s fine.” She adjusts her shirt and grabs her phone. “You know, I should probably go. I’ll just text Cindy.”

“No,” I take her hand. “Please, don’t go.”

“Micah, I’m sorry. Look, I should’ve said this in the beginning, but …” She looks down at the sheets on my bed. “I’m not interested in being a rebound.”

“Whoa. Veronica, you’re not a rebound.”

“Yeah, but you guys had so much history. I remember you guys went out in school and now—”

“And now we’re over. She cheated on me. Twice.”

Shaking her head, she brings her hands to her face. “But you’re also … experienced.”

“What do you mean?”

“This is so embarrassing. I’m … I’m … a virgin.”

“Oh,” I answer. She nods her head but still avoids eye contact. “Hey, I’m not Taylor,” I say with a chuckle.

“No, I know. But still, you’re more experienced than me.”

I let out a laugh, running a hand up her leg. “You seemed to be doing fine a minute ago.”

“Well, I mean, I’ve done stuff. I’ve just never done … it.” I can’t help it. I let out another laugh. “It’s not funny,” she says, smiling.

“Okay, since you’re putting it all out there, I’ll do the same. I’ve been with two girls. Two. Yes, that girl Cynthia, Taylor just said, was one of them, and I only did it because he was hassling me, saying I needed to get over Lana. The first time. And it didn’t help. It didn’t make me feel better, it just made me feel worse. I don’t sleep around.”

“Okay.” She nods.

“And I like you, Vero. If you want to go home, I’ll take you home. But, I’d also like you to stay, too. We can just watch New Girl, and I’ll steal Taylor’s pizza for us when he comes back. Seriously, no hanky panky.”

She giggles. “Did you just say hanky panky?”

“Yeah, no good?”

“Maybe if we were in the fifties. Let me text Cindy so she can cover for me if my brothers text her. They can be … overbearing.”

I can’t help the huge grin that slides across my lips. “Does that mean you’ll stay tonight?”

She nods. “And turn down pizza and New Girl? When you dangle that hook in front of me, of course, I’ll stay.” Laughing, she snuggles closer to me as I grab the remote, turning on the TV. “And Micah,” she starts kissing me along my jaw, working up to my ear, “we can have a little hanky tonight. Just no panky.”