I shake my head, irritated with myself. “Yeah, April 28th is hilarious, isn’t it?”
“No.” She gives a sigh, recovering her breath and meeting my confused gaze. “You’re a Taurus.”
“A Taurus,” I repeat, picturing the Fords specifically designed for grandmothers and school librarians. “As in thecar?”
This sets her off again, and she laughs with abandon. She’s laughingat me,and for the first time in my life, I don’t care.
“No. Your sign. Taurus. The bull.”
I give her the side-eye. “Oh, you’re one ofthose.”My tone is light, teasing, but really? My sign? Give me a break.
Still grinning, she rolls her eyes.“Sucha Taurus,” she mutters.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing. What’s wrong with being a Taurus? If any of that stuff were real, I mean.”
Evietsks.“It’s not abadthing. It’s just so obvious now that you’re a Taurus. I should have guessed it before.”
I shouldn’t ask. I just shouldn’t. “Why?”
She looks almost giddy. “Because you’re clearly very stubborn—”
“What?! I’m n—”
“And once you make up your mind about something, it’s almost impossible for anyone to convince you you’re wrong.” She lifts her shoulder in a shrug. “Like a bull.”
“What if I’m not wrong?” I ask, sensing she’s referring to the warnings I’ve given her about me.
“Well, that’s just the thing. A typical Taurus usually doesn’t bother to question. They’re very fixed in their beliefs, so they tend to be pretty conservative and narrow-minded and—”
“Wow, this keeps getting better and better.”
She frowns at me. “Don’t get offended. That’s just one side of the spectrum. Tauruses have some wonderful attributes.”
I nod, mocking. “Sure. Bull-headed. Closed-minded. What could be better?”
Her eyes snap with a kind of green ire. “For one, they’re very rational and pragmatic…”
“Mmm-Hmm. Too logical to buy into any horoscope bullshit,” I mutter, beginning to enjoy myself. And that enjoyment doubles when her jaw cocks to the side.
God, she’s gorgeous.
“And being an earth sign, they’re very grounded. Stable. Reliable. That kind of thing.” She speaks through gritted teeth, but she’s not fooling me. There’s a smile just waiting to show itself behind the taut lines around her mouth.
“Earth signsounds like crap, but I’ll takestable and reliable.”
The nostrils of her pretty, straight nose flare. “Because of this, they are very loyal and can be great friends.” She gives me a pointed look. “If they ever manage to make any, of course.”
Laughter erupts from me, sudden and loud. I think it startles her, but not half as much as it shocks me. I can’t remember the last time I laughed like this. It’s different, laughing on the inside. Inmates laugh, of course. But there’s nowhere for it to go. Every burst of laughter is weighed down by the knowledge that no one there is free.
I’ve forgotten what it feels like to really laugh on the outside. Until now. And it feels fucking great. I fix my eyes on the beauty that is Evie Lalonde and laugh my ass off.
By the time I’m done, she’s beaming, giggling right along with me.
“So, be honest,” I say, once I can speak. “Is Taurus the worst one? The worst… sign or whatever?”
She rolls her eyes. “Hardly. That would be Leo.” Evie shakes her head. “So full of themselves.”
I chuckle. “You’re really into this stuff.”
