I nibbled on the last of my pastry and went to the kitchen to throw away my garbage. By the time I got back, Devi had moved over to the sectional with Morgan and Erin, abandoning me to The Boy, who’d returned to his seat already. I stared at her across the room. She stared back. Then she grinned as she snagged herself another slice of pizza.

Oh, Devi. I know where you sleep.

The heat rose in my face as I sunk back into the couch. Not wanting anyone to see just how red I could get, I pretended to be interested in the Patriots football purgatory surrounding me. Blue-and-white banners, posters and signed photographs hung from the walls. Along the ceiling, there were decorative lights like you might see at Christmas time, only they were tiny football helmets with Patriots logos on the sides. There was a glass case with golden footballs and commemorative-issue Super Bowl rings. Jerseys flanked the almost-as-big-as-the-wall TV, framed and signed, one of which belonged to Saint Brady himself.

Erin’s claim that it was a movie theater wasn’t far off, if movie theaters were hosed down with puke-tastic sports memorabilia.

The credits started on the movie. Leaf leaned back over the opposite side of the couch. I was comfortable. I got more comfortable when I stretched out and he made room for me on the middle cushion. He glanced my way.

“You can put your feet on my lap if you want to lie down,” he said. “I won’t touch them. I know feet are a thing.”

“Five-headed monsters,” I agreed, because really, feet were ugly, but I took him up on his offer and there I was, totally horizontal on the couch, watching a great movie, with a nice-looking Rom volunteering to be my footrest.

I never moved during the movie, and he didn’t seem bothered by it. His hand rested on my knee and never so much as twitched. There was no massaging or tickling or anything other than he had to put his hand somewhere, my legs were in the way, that’s where it landed. What I liked? He asked me, quietly, “Is this alright?” before he did it. He didn’t just assume and it scored him major brownie points.

I could have really liked him.

...if I was looking for that sort of thing. Which I wasn’t. I was pregnant and that was trouble enough on its own, never mind complicating anything with a boy.

Those were the thoughts that plagued me between movie sprints—things along the lines of “what I deserved.” I didn’t deserve Leaf’s attention because I had to be serious about my baby. I had to be an adult now. I had to realize that flirting was frivolous! Except...

I’m pregnant, not dead. I can still appreciate a good dude, right? Like, it’s not selfish or stupid of me to do that?