Julie laughs. "Less direct than DTF."
"Yeah, but men like to be romanced a little too," I say. "How would you feel if someone you like texted DTF?"
"Am I horny?" Julie asks.
"Sure," I say.
"It does feel like a mass message. Do they want me? Or anybody who will show up at their apartment? Yeah, I guess you're right. It's best to be direct in a flirty way," Julie says.
"He crossed the 405 for me," Imogen says.
Julie stares at her blankly.
"You'll get it when you live in LA," Imogen says.
"Live in LA? Fat chance," Julie says. "It's traffic hell here. I know I should hate Orange County because it's so fake, but I love it."
"Nothing wrong with that," I say.
"I know. I talk such big talk about going to Stanford or Princeton but I really want to go to UCI," she says.
"You do?" Imogen asks.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I know you want me to go far away," Julie says.
"No." Imogen turns to us. "I want you nearby, but that's selfish. I don't want to push you to stay because I want you here. I want you to have all the space to grow and thrive."
"But not everyone is as brave as you," she says.
"I went somewhere an hour away," Imogen says.
"You didn't know anyone," Julie says. "You moved out. You took this big leap and it was what you needed to thrive."
"I didn't thrive—"
"Can we talk about that?" Julie asks.
"Jules—"
"Is this just going to be more bullshit?" Julie asks.
"Can we talk later?" she asks.
"I'll give you guys the room," I say.
"Does he know what it is?" she asks. "Why things are so weird with you and Mom?"
Yes.
"No. It's not that simple," Imogen says. "There isn't one thing. There are a million things."
"She's not doing well," Julie says. "She's vaping!"
"Maybe she's with the times," Imogen says.
"No. She's drinking a lot. And she's dragging herself to work. Whatever it is, she's not happy."
"Is that why you want to stay?" Imogen asks. "For her?"