Page 1 of Only You

One

Kayla was in love. She sank her teeth into the slice of pizza and took the perfect bite of gooey cheese, sweet sauce, and spicy pepperoni. She chewed it slowly, savoring it, like she didn’t come here once a week, and might never have it again. Then she dabbed her lips with a napkin and saw Jack staring at her. “What?”

“Just wondering if that is what your O face looks like,” Jack said, deadpan.

“You’ll never know,” she retorted.

Jack chuckled and took a bite of his veggie pizza. “So, what’s the latest roommate drama?”

Kayla rolled her eyes. “Josie was at it again last night. Her headboard banged against my wall until one in the morning.”

Jack shook his head. “Why don’t you just ask her to move the bed to another wall?”

“There’s not enough space.”

“Well, at least she’s getting some,” Jack said dryly.

Kayla laughed. “True.”

“I don’t know how you can stand it, though.”

Kayla had been considering moving out for a while. “I’ve been looking at places online, but I haven’t found the right one yet.”

Jack began to speak, but they were interrupted.

“Can I get you two anything else?” the waiter asked.

“Just a box, please,” Kayla replied.

“I’m good,” said Jack.

“He’s cute,” Kayla commented as the waiter walked away.

“I thought you were off dating.”

“I am, but he’s still cute. Anyway, what were you going to say?”

Jack cleared his throat, which he always did before delivering big news. Kayla and Jack had started working at the same pharmaceutical company two years ago and had become fast friends. In a job with a lot of turnover, the two of them were still there, though many of their friends had left.

“I have a proposition for you,” Jack said.

“Oh. Sounds serious.”

“It’s more of a favor, really.” He shifted uncomfortably.

“Ask away.”

The waiter returned with a box and their bill. “No rush,” he said, smiling at Kayla.

She smiled back and then returned her attention to Jack. “Sorry. Go ahead.”

“You know what, never mind.”

Suddenly, she was very curious. “No. Please ask me.” She owed him a favor for how often he’d listened to her complaining about Josie, among other things.

Jack took a deep breath. “Okay. So, my parents are coming to visit me for the holidays.”

“That’s great.” His parents lived in Florida, and he didn’t see them that often.