Lacey appreciates the picture

Lacey leaned closer to Paul, unable to help but gawk at the photo. Paul grinned, scrolling to another picture. The girl was strikingly beautiful, with long, flowing hair that shimmered black. She had sun kissed skin and high cheekbones. A delicate jawline gave her a refined look, while her full lips were almost inviting. Lacey couldn’t stop herself from imagining kissing them.

“Right?” Paul said. “She’s so hot.” He leaned back in his chair, puffing out his chest mockingly.

“She could be a model.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what she sees in me.”

Lacey raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you’re kind of charming in a ‘I can’t get my life together’ way,” she said. “I didn’t know babes went for guys who don't even have their own rooms.”

Paul shrugged. “Hey, I’m working on it. Plus, I’ve been sending her some pretty hot pictures back.”

Lacey snorted. “No. Guys can’t take hot pictures.”

“Whoa, that’s a harsh generalization,” Paul said. “You just think that just because you’re a lesbian.”

“I’m bisexual!” Lacey protested. Paul raised an eyebrow, and something seemed to have turned a corner. She kept talking to deflate the awkwardness. “I know what makes a picture hot. And I’ve never seen a hot picture from a guy. Aside from, like, a model or something.”

“That’s a lie, I’m telling you,” he said.

Lacey felt a flicker of something—was it competitiveness? “You’re a guy who mostly takes selfies with his friends and awkwardly flexes at the gym. I don’t see how that translates into hot pictures.” She crossed her arms.

“I’ve been working on my angles, thank you very much,” he said.

A smile tugged at the corners of Lacey’s mouth. “Right. You think angles are going to compete with this?” She gestured at the picture on his phone.

“Not angles.” He patted his pants with a grin. “I’m just packing.”