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.All his trembling fingers were able to muster was:Yes.-PCool, have to go now.Dinner time.Miss U.-CHe put the phone down, heart hammering in his chest.There had been precious few opportunities for him and Crawley to be intimate.He worked Monday through Friday at the firm, while her weekends were usually taken up by her father’s business.Phil was painfully aware that his awkwardness in the bedroom was not helping the matter.His excitement was tempered with apprehension, the conflict making his stomach turn more than the hangover he had been suffering.He stripped off the shorts and took a shower, letting the hot water cascade down his aching back.The stool provided by Chet at the gig the night before had lacked any back support, and the strain of holding up his torso all night had left him with fires and sharp needles in the muscles near his spine.Upon exiting the shower he got dressed and tried to play World of Warcraft, but found that his heart was not in it.He considered starting a new character, realized that was a temporary fix to the problem and just turned the game off.He wound up checking his various social media accounts, changing his status from “single” to “in a relationship”—something he had been afraid to do in case Crawley saw it.Now he wanted her to take notice, because he wasn’t certain how to move their relationship forward.He idly chatted with Steve, who was posting stupid memes while Autumn was out with a pair of girlfriends.The big man dropped a bombshell, saying that he had proposed to Autumn and she had accepted.What are you always telling me about buying the cow? -PHe got the expected reply:Fuck off.-SSeriously, though.I’m happy for you.Wish I could move things along a little faster with Eleanor.-PDo you love her? -SDon’t know.Really like her, though.-PCome on, dude.She’s your first real girlfriend.You’re in love.-SMaybe.I kind of think I’m not good enough for her.-PWhat? You have a great job,you’re thin, single, and neat.-SI mean in the bedroom, asshole.-PLol.Crawley’s a bit more experienced than you,I take it? -SAll that Phil had the gumption to type was:Yes.-PYou’re scared of her, and of your own sexuality.You need to let loose and just be your beastly self.-SEasy for you to say.You didn’t have conservative Jewish parents!Remember the first time I spent the night at your house, and I whispered the whole evening? -PI remember.You’re going to have to get over it, though.Women like it MORE than we do, dude.Have you talked to her about it? -SA little.-PDid she have an O? -SSays she does every time.-PHe paused, fingers hovering over the keyboard, then wrote in a rush:I don’t think I’ve been doing very well, though.-PTry, try again.-SPhil sighed.Thanks for nothing.-PHe signed out of the site.Within a few minutes he was doing a web search for sex advice.“Guess I’ll have to solve this like a nerd.”Chapter 16STEVE STARED DOWN at the mutilated, glue-sodden mass of paper on the low yellow table before him.All around, his children zipped from one play center to another while a group of four sat across the table from him.Scissors, glue bottles, and scraps of red and pink paper were scattered across the surface, some being used by the children.“What is this?” he asked, raising a bushy brow at the messy artifact.“That’s for you, Mr.Steve,” said a brightly smiling little girl.“It’s a valentine!”“Thank you, sweetie.” Steve got to his feet.He walked a short distance to his desk and used a homemade magnet constructed from a clothespin to affix it to his metal cabinet.It joined several other cards of a similar haphazard design.When he came back to the table, he noticed Darrien was having a mock sword fight with another child, using pencils as sword surrogates.Steve sat down and watched the proceedings, picking up a thicker red painted pencil.“Have at thee!” Steve zestfully added his own wooden weapon to the mix.The boys were nearly overcome with delighted laughter, growing more zealous in their motions.He was laughing himself, a sound which died in his throat as he heard his classroom door open.Ms.Stone stood in the doorway, a cold narrow-eyed stare plastered across her wrinkled visage.“What can I do for you?” he asked after leaving the table and his dueling opponents behind.“You can stop letting five-year-olds play with pencils.Do you want them to lose an eye?”Steve’s smile faded.“Sorry.”“Why do they have adult-sized pencils, anyway? For twenty years I taught kindergarten, and my children always had the bigger pencils…like that one.”She pointed at the implement in his hand, causing him to shake his head.“This is too big.”“Their motor skills aren’t so good yet.The larger size is easier for them to grip.”“To grip, yes, but to write with? That would be like you or I using a broom handle for a pencil
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