“We could go out in the parking lot. I’ve always wanted to see how quickly my Hyundai can go from zero to sixty.”
“Tempting.” Sebastian laughs, and I’m irritated by the sound. He leans forward, elbows resting on the handle of his shopping cart with easy posture, and that irritates me too. “Have you heard the good news?”
“What news?”
“I’m going to be in town for a while.” He’s smug when he saysit, gleeful he has something to hold over my head. “I’m working on a docuseries that focuses on hurricane season in the Southeast. You’re going to be seeing a lot more of me.”
“ABC is tired of showing your prized face, aren’t they?” I ask. “Is the senior meteorologist job where you’re on-air for ten minutes a night too much work for the guy who poses with his Jeep in social media photos?”
“Monroe, please.” He puts a hand over his chest. Pretends to be scandalized. “Don’t flirt with me in public. You’re going to make me blush.”
“What’s it like to walk around with such an inflated ego you think everything is a compliment?”
“An inflated ego? That’s the equivalent of calling me pretty.” His mouth twists into a grin that’s boastful and proud. A point added to his victory column in our endless back-and-forth. “Can’t believe it took you sixteen years to admit it.”
“Pretty obnoxious is more like it.”
“All I hear ispretty. I knew you thought about me.” Sebastian pushes his cart closer to mine. The wheels collide, and I take a step back. “Say it again. I love it when you’re mean to me.”
I roll my eyes, refusing to give in to his game. “Congratulations on the new gig. I hope it gets you out of town as quickly as possible.”
“You can admit you miss me when I’m not here, Monroe.”
“In your dreams, Dunn.” Five minutes together, and we’re falling back into rhythm like we’re knee-deep in dissertations and competing for TA positions. Going against each other for valedictorian or an internship at the local news station up in Orlando. For as long as I can remember, Sebastian has been a part of my life, whether I like it or not. I point at the iPhone on the ground to distract myself. “Is that yours?”
“It is. Thanks for not crushing it.”
“There’s still time for that. Besides, how would you post videos for all your fans without it?”
“Are you one of those fans?”
“Again. In your dreams.”
“I have a lot of dreams.” Another smirk and the lift of his shoulder in a shrug. “Maybe I’ll share them with you one day.”
“I’m waiting with bated breath,” I draw out. “You don’t use a case?”
“I like to live life on the edge.”
“Chasing severe weather doesn’t do it for you anymore?”
“It’s more fun to see if my twelve-hundred-dollar phone screen is going to shatter,” he says.
“Everyone has a thing, even if yours is teetering toward unhinged behavior.”
“Wait until I tell you I don’t have a passcode.” He bends down to scoop up the phone, nodding when he inspects it. “Good as new.”
“I’m so happy for you.”
“There’s that sarcasm again,” Sebastian says, tucking his phone in his back pocket. “Are you food shopping?”
“Checking out home furnishings, actually. I’ve been thinking about redecorating my living room,” I say.
“And you’re using the grocery store as inspiration? I knew I’ve seen this on a Pinterest board before. The black beans will really add to the ambiance.”
“What ambiance is that? Legume-y?”
“Mm-hmm. Significantly better than whole grain, obviously.”
