He takes a sip of his green juice. “I think you’re less cynical than you think you are.”
“I think you don’t know much about me.”
“I think I know a lot about you.”
“Because we dated fifteen years ago?”
“Yes. You still have the same world-weary affect protecting a vulnerable emotional core.”
“Nope,” I say, snatching a piece of bacon off his plate. “My emotional core is dead. Anyway, Alyssa and Ryland. What’s your prediction?”
“They stay together. Obviously.”
“Well does it count if we both think the same thing will happen?” I ask.
“No,” he says. “Who’s next?”
I don’t know many of the people in our class well enough to prognosticate on their relationships, so I go with Gloria and Emily.
“They’ll break up,” I pronounce. “Probably soon.”
He looks at me like I’m a murderer.
“Oh my God. No way. They’re beautifully compatible. And do you see how they look at each other, with that gleam? We should all be so lucky.”
I shake my head. “You don’t know them as well as I do. Emily wants a baby. Gloria’s going along with it for now, but the idea of being a parent obviously freaks her out. She doesn’t even like having a dog. I don’t think they’ll get past it.”
Seth looks at me like I’m delusional. “Gloria seems like she’d do anything for Emily—hence the dog. And it’s not unusual to be ambivalent about parenthood. They’ll work it out. You’re being cynical again. And mean. Aren’t they your friends?”
“I’m not being mean. I’m trying to win a bet. And you’re wrong.”
“No, I’m not. I can see these things, I told you. I just catch a vibe and I know: soul mates, or not soul mates.”
Well if he’s counting on magic, I am definitely going to win. And I like winning.
“Fine. Put it in your phone.”
He tap, tap, taps away.
“I choose the next one,” he says. “Jon and Alastair.”
I would protest that this isn’t fair, as Jon is one of Seth’s oldest friends, except I pulled the same trick with Dezzie. And besides, I know who Jon is in love with, and it’s not Alastair.
“No way,” I say.
He looks up from his phone, surprised. “No way?”
“Yeah. Jon’s been in love with Kevin since we were sixteen. I don’t know if the two of them will get together, but I do know that Alastair’s not going to last, given the way Jon was looking at Kevin last night.”
Seth looks dumbfounded. “That’s actually a rather romantic take. Offensive, but romantic.”
“Offensive? What could you possibly mean?”
“I mean that just because they’re friends and they’re both gay, you think they have to be in love.”
“Um, no. That is not even remotely what I’m saying. I’m still in touch with Kevin. And he mentioned Jon like eight times when I said I was coming to this.”
“If you insist, Marks,” Seth says. “You’re wrong though. Jon’s thinking about proposing to Alastair.”
“Well, I would say it’s unethical to use insider information to rig the bet, except a lot can happen in five years, and I’m absolutely certain I will be right in the end.”
He types our predictions into his phone.
“Want to pick the last one?” he asks.
I do, but I wasn’t paying enough attention to any of the other couples last night to have a strong read on them.
“Go ahead,” I say.
He smiles devilishly.
“Me and you.”
CHAPTER 10 Seth
If you have never experienced a gorgeous, half-dressed woman flicking a giant forkful of ketchup-drenched scrambled eggs at you, you’re missing out.
The only bad part is picking the egg bits out of your chest hair.
