I licked my lips. Marco. Always showing up when I was at my most confused. I stood aside and let him in, looking at the style of his hair, the trendy clothes. I could smell his cologne. Ashley was still haunting me, but I was thinking of letting her go, just for this afternoon.

"What's up?" he said, and I mumbled nothing. Shifted my weight from one foot to the other. Wondered what he was gonna do.

He sat on the couch and I watched him, not moving, caught in some spider web.

"Uh, how's Ash?" he said, and I didn't know what to say.

"I don't know. Pissed, I guess," I said, inching my way toward the couch. I could see the late afternoon light filtering into the room, looking all gauzy and thick like curtains. I felt the fabric of the couch beneath my fingertips.

He looked up at me and kind of half-smiled, and I felt that funny, stomach twisting feeling. I was very conscious of the fact that nobody was home.

"I guess she has a right to be," he said, and for some reason I was surprised to hear this from him. I closed my eyes, tired of feeling the Ashley guilt. I didn't want to feel it right now.

"Yeah," I said, sitting on the couch next to him, flipping through the channels. I was looking at the T.V., but I could feel him looking at me. I could feel him moving closer, just a little closer. I didn't move at all.

"Listen, uh, Craig," he said, and I turned toward him, saw his eyes searching out mine, "I'm sorry I got you in all this trouble with Ash and everything," I nodded, not feeling like it was so much his fault anymore. It was also mine.

"I didn't mean to," he said, and he trailed one fingertip up my arm. His touch was light and made me shiver. I didn't move, just watched him.

"It's okay," I said, my voice thick. He was leaning closer to me, I could feel his breath. His cologne was in my nose, in my head. My confusion was thickening. I felt myself not thinking so clearly.

"Good," he said, and closed his eyes, leaning in to kiss me. All I could see was the gold light all around us, thick as soup, and the buzz and crackle of the T.V. I closed my eyes, let him kiss me, felt his tongue sneak into my mouth. I flicked it with my own. It felt good. I was tired of fighting. I put my arms up around his shoulders like girls did when I kissed them.

I heard the unmistakable sound of Joey's car in the driveway but I was still kissing Marco when I heard the car door slam, then I pulled away.

"Joey," I said, and he moved over, and we flipped the T.V. to MT.V. and we both pretended to be absorbed in the videos when Joey and Angie walked in.

"Hi, Craig, Marco," Joey said, oblivious. We said hi. Angie threw her stuff on the floor and Joey told her to pick it up and she pouted. I smiled at Marco.

"You two hungry?" Joey said.

"Why? Are you cooking?" I said, flipping the channel from MT.V. to some Nicholas Cage action movie.

"No. Ordering pizza,"

"We already ate," I said.

"C'mon, Marco, let's go up to my room," I said, and Marco smiled a wide smile at me and nodded, followed me up the stairs.