“You really want to drive down here.”

“Of course I do,” Allen said.

“Okay. It just seems like you do all the driving,” Jamie replied. She was keeping her voice down because she was at work and there was a customer looking around.

“The other day you got all pissed because I didn’t want to drive down.”

“I know.”

“Well, somebody has to drive.”

“Yeah…”

“Incidentally, you left some pictures at my place.”

“I did?”

“The roll from the botanical gardens?”

“Oh yeah! I totally forgot about those.”

Allen thinks about keeping the picture of his reverie almost afraid now that it would give the secret away if she looks too closely. “Anyway… today’s just so… I just really want to see you.”

“Yeah?”

“Wednesday night was just stupid.”

“Yeah.” They both pause for a long while. “Well, you know, you can ‘make it up’ to me.”

Allen laughs a little, the phone crackling, the signal maybe bent by electricity hanging in the atmosphere. He liked it when Jamie baited him, and he can almost hear her smile through the receiver because she knows he knows. “I love you,” he says instead of taking the bait and smiles, staring at the Styrofoam carton that his brunch had recently occupied.

“I love you too.”

The pair enjoys a pleasant, pregnant moment of silence.  
 

“Listen, I gotta’ get back to work.”

“Okay. I’ll see you around five.”

“You sure you remember where it is?”

“Yup.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.”

Allen laughs again. “K’bye.”

“Bye.”

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