“Are you sure? You’d be more likely to take my clothes than you would be to take Maelin’s.”
She scans me in my loose-fit shirt and pants. “That’s fair enough.”
“E-girl.”
She bristles. “Rude.”
I begin humming “Rainbow Girl” while I finish up my sandwich.
Morana hasn’t moved by the time I’m done. She says, “You have no stuff to mess with.”
“I have tons of stuff to mess with in my gaming room.”
Her nose wrinkles—yet again. “I can’t break fan gifts. That would behorrible. And I can’t interrupt you in your gaming room. What if you’re recording and I ruin the shot? No matter how much it looks like you’re just playing games from the outside, that’s yourwork.”
It sure is. “No problem. If I’m recording, I can edit it out. If I’m streaming, I can just tell everyone you’re my girlfriend.”
She regards me, down the sweet tip of her little nose, with all the dryness of the Sahara Desert. “Oh yes, because what Ireallywant is for the world to think I’m your girlfriend. That’s the goal here.”
It really, truly is. My usual scowl softens, and there might be a twinkle in my eye when I say, “I knew you’d come around.”
“You’re hopeless.” She turns on her heel.
Since I’ve nothing better to do until Enigma and Endeavor get back to me about the collab I think is happening tonight, or…at least sometime today, I set my plate on the sink counter and follow Morana.
“I know you didn’t just leave an unwashed plate by the sink.”
“It’s okay. The maid we’re paying to clean here will take care of it.” I tuck my fingers in my pockets. “You know who I’d never pay to wash my dishes or dirty underwear?”
If looks could kill.
I say, “My sister.”
“This is hurtful. Rejecting my sisterly affections every single day is hurtful. I may have to quit.”
“Please do. You won’t be able to afford to live in Sunset unless you can get another good job…or unless you move in. We can share my room since I’m not like my brothers and won’t be dropping fifty grand on making up a room for you to then promptly ignore once we get married mere hours later. I’m a bit more frugal than all that.”
“I’d move back home.”
My step falters.
Morana and Maelin’s parents live about two hours from here, toward Washington, DC. The idea of her being anything but fifteen minutes away at all times is soul-crushing.I’dhave to move. Follow her. Live in a freaking, quiet apartment all by myself with no sister making me sandwiches anymore.
Hate that.
Stopping in the hall, Morana looks back at where I’ve frozen in place to fantasize the horrors and create the gameplan. Eyes rolling, she mutters, “Quit looking so devastated.”
I drag my hopeless gaze to her. “I don’t want to live in a world without you near me.”
Something cracks in her pretty face. “But…why?”
“Why?”
“Why would I matter that much to you? I’m an irritation. And I do it on purpose. We’ve not even known one another for a year yet. I’m not much to look at. So why? Why would the possibility of a fling with me mean that much to you?”
Not much to look at? Afling? Is she mad? “Whydo you think I like you, Morana?” I ask. “Do you think I’m joking or just want to fool around?”
Her head shakes. “No, I don’t think you’re joking. You wouldn’t joke about this kind of thing. And I don’t think you’d approach a relationship with the sole purpose of fooling around.”
