Mei
Happy tears. Khanner looks like he might combust from pride, and I’ve taken approximately seven hundred photos.
Tovek
Send one?
I select the best shot (Sunny and Khanner with their trophy, his wing curled protectively around her shoulders, her face tipped up to his with an expression that makes my chest tight) and hit send.
Tovek
They look good together.
Mei
They do. It’s kind of disgusting, actually.
Tovek
In the best way.
Mei
Definitely in the best way.
We stay until the convention starts to wind down, the crowds thinning as people head for dinner or after-parties. Sunny’s still riding the high of the win, her earlier nerves replaced by a glowing confidence that transforms her already striking features. Khanner hasn’t left her side, his massive frame a counterpoint to her smaller one, his wing now a constant presence at her back. Not quite touching, but close enough that anyone watching would know exactly what they are to each other.
“I’m gonna turn in and get my beauty sleep. I partied last night,” I say finally, checking the time. “Coffee before I leave tomorrow?”
Sunny pulls me into a hug, mindful of her costume. “Thank you,” she says, her voice muffled against my shoulder. “For everything. The video, the moral support, the eight thousand texts when I overslept.”
“Anytime,” I promise, meaning it. “That’s what best friends are for.”
“Even when they’re being dramatic?” she asks, pulling back with a grin.
“Especially then.” I squeeze her hand. “Now go enjoy your win. I expect a full report tomorrow at breakfast, including whether certain CFOs finally made a move.”
The next morning, I meet Sunny at the hotel lobby café. When she arrives, she looks simultaneously exhausted and radiant ina way that tells me everything I need to know before she even opens her mouth.
“So,” I say, sliding into the seat across from her and stealing a sip of her latte. “Scale of one to ten, how much dragon D did you get?”
She chokes on her coffee. “Mei!”
“That’s not a denial.” I grin, flagging down a server to order my own drink. “Come on. Spill. I earned this after spending forty-five minutes lacing you into that costume.”
Sunny’s cheeks turn pink, but she’s smiling as my absolutely high achiever executive assistant of a best friend dropped too much information about dragonkin anatomy.
“Sunny Adlawan, you absolute legend.” I reach across the table to squeeze her hand. “I’m so happy for you.”
“It’s terrifying,” she admits. “We work together. It could get complicated.”
“It’s already complicated,” I point out. “At least now you’re complicated and happy.”
She laughs, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. “When did you get so wise about relationships?”
“I didn’t. I’m a disaster. But I’m a disaster who loves you and wants you to be happy.” I pause as the server brings my coffee. “Besides, watching you two last night...it was pretty obvious you’re meant to be together. Even the judges noticed.”
We talk for another hour, Sunny filling me in on every detail of her life in Obsidian City while I gloss over all the things happening on the other side of town.
