Better Than Before

A laugh I’d recognize anywhere

“Y’know, Buxbaum, someday you might see it differently.”

was staring—wide, unblinking green eyes—at my cousin as if she was seeing Jesus himself.

“Cool,” I said, still watching her watch him. I knew I couldn’t be rude, even though I wanted to be, so I added, “Hey, Chuck—this is Liz.”

No one had an easier face to read than my next-door neighbor. Liz’s every thought played out for the world, as if her freckles were transmitting Morse code or something.

And at that moment, she was having a million melodramatic romantic thoughts about my cousin.

Fucking awesome.

“Hey, Liz,” Charlie said, wearing a huge-ass grin as he peered at her over the fence. “I’m Charlie. Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she said, squinting as she smiled back at him.

Fucking lovely.