Out of Focus (Love in LA #3)

Yo? No, I can’t send that. Delete, delete, delete.

Good date, red?

Ugh, that’s not right, either. Try again.

ME:

Hey, Chuck. Hope you had (or are having) a good time.

I throw a smiley emoji in there for good measure and hit send. It still feels lame as fuck, but I can’t overthink this any more than I already have.

CHARLIE:

Hi

I was just about to message you.

I’m home.

It was a great first date!

Thanks again for setting this up.

Okay.

Okay, okay, okay.

She didn’t go home with him. And she said was, so he’s not at her place either.

Good. Good? Good. Yeah.

I’m not ready to let our conversation end, though.

ME:

Glad to hear it. What are you doing tomorrow?

Her reply comes right away, and the relief washes over me like a tropical rainstorm. Warm and unexpected.

CHARLIE:

I wanted to go to Ojai to see Maeve.

But I don’t know how I feel about driving all that way.

Wrong side of the road, and all that…

ME:

Honey bun, it’s quite literally the RIGHT side of the road.

I add an emoji with the tongue sticking out. I’m an emoji guy now, apparently.

CHARLIE:

Ha. Ha.

What are you doing tomorrow?