Manny was lying on her bed, staring at the phone.
She knew Emma would be home, but would she be happy for her? Would she want to hear from Manny? Emma was friends with Paige, just as Manny had been before. Would she think it was too soon?
Manny knew after that kiss that Spinner was it. The one. Spinner was the one. After all those empty times having sex with Craig that she thought meant something, she had found Spinner. Emma and her hadn't been getting along lately, but Manny thought that maybe Emma would go for being friends again if she knew that Manny had found a reason to settle down. Maybe Spinner and Paige had just broken up, but he still didn't have a girlfriend. He wasn't Craig: The Recurrence or anything.
Looking at the clock, Manny saw that she only had about 10 minutes to catch Emma before she went to bed. "Decide quickly," she said to herself in the dark. She spent five minutes weighing the pros and cons until the phone rang.
Manny dove for it. "Hello?" She answered eagerly.
"Hey, kiddo," Spinner's voice floated over the line, easing Manny into a deep comfort she had never felt before.
"Hey, Spin. What's up?"
"I missed you already."
"Really? Little old me?"
"Yeah. I was thinking, and I realized that we should keep this quiet for awhile. We don't want your reputation to just combust. Liberty knows. And I can tell Marco. For now." Spinner suggested. Manny was floored. He wanted to protect her! No guy had ever wanted to protect her before.
She also realized that this ruled out the decision she was trying to make of calling Emma. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Spinner was turning her life right-side up again. It was the most beautiful feeling she had ever encountered in the whole range of human emotion that she had ever dealt with.
"That's a good idea, Spin. Thanks." Manny liked Marco and she knew he would keep it a secret. He didn't like Manny too much, but he was a really nice guy. He knew he should be accepting of everyone, since he was gay, and otherwise it would be throwing stones at other people's houses when his own was made of glass.
"No problem, babe. I just wanted to say sweet dreams."
"You too, Spin. I miss you."
"I miss you too, I'll see you tomorrow."
"See you."