That kind of acting had taken a lot out of me.
“At least she answered the door,” Mitch reminded him.
“She probably didn’t even check the peephole,” Joey muttered back. “I told her not to do that.”
“Hello?” I said with a frown. “I’m right here. I can hear what you’re saying.”
Both of them blinked and finally focused on me. “Oh, sorry.” Mitch gave me a smile. “We were justworried.”
“Seems like you need us,” Joey added.
“I’m fine. I just slept in.”
“Your apartment is a little messy,” Joey noted as he peered in. I followed his line of sight, seeing the blender on the counter.
“I just made that?—”
“We’ll handle it.” He started to come through the door, which made me jump out of the way, before marching into the kitchen.
I glared at his back.
“It’s more like he needed this,” Mitch said to me quietly. “Sorry to drop in unannounced.”
Mitch did look sheepish, so I forced my shoulders to drop.
“It’s good to see you,” I said.
“You too. Despite being in pajamas, you look happy.”
“I am.”
“The only reason I agreed is because I wanna see the town you live in, even if you’re not in the mood to show us around.”
“I bet she won’t be,” Joey called from the kitchen.
“Actually, I am.” I crossed my arms. “I’ll go get changed.”
Joey spoke up immediately. “Really, but?—”
The bedroom door slammed shut before he could finish his sentence. I meant to pull something out of my closet, but I stopped in front of the mirror in the bathroom first.
“You are going to keep it together,” I told myself. “If Joey sees anything wrong, then he’ll never leave.”
With a determined nod, I found a pair of floral-stitched jeans and a pink shirt to throw on. I braided my hair before coming out.
“You’re really willing to get out of the house?” Joey asked when I came out.
“I didn’t get dressed for nothing. I figure the library is the best place to start.”
“Have you been there before?” Mitch asked.
“Yep. I go a lot, actually,” I replied. “I’ve been meaning to return some books anyway.”
I propped open the door before collecting the books I’d finished. I was mostly dressed for the day, but put on an extra jacket just in case the square was busy and I got close to someone.
“Are we walking?” Joey asked.
“It’s a pretty day,” I said as I put on my shoes. “Why not?”
