Page 68 of King’s Kismet

She studied a black leather skirt for a beat before picking her size and hanging it over her arm.

“Novak loves his music,” she replied after a moment of contemplation. “But he also enjoys that moment of surprise when he does something you weren’t expecting. Like being charming when you think he’ll be an ass. Or being caring when you believe he’ll stay quiet.”

I knew that, though I didn’t know exactly how to word it. That’s what he’d done when I was spiraling through my thoughts a few days ago. Or his responses to my story while we were walking to his mom’s house.

His reactions kept me on my toes, keeping me always guessing what he would do.

“I’m going to fall for him,” I stated, though I hadn’t intended to say it aloud.

“You’re going to fall for him,” Blaire repeated, finality in her tone. “It’s difficult not to love him.”

“I just met him,” I told her, as if that would stop the emotions from coming.

“And yet you sealed your bond already?” she sang, seeming pleased with the outcome.

I pursed my lips. “Fair point. It felt right.”

She stared at me with wide, devious eyes. “It’s just a minor step in his plan to steal your heart.”

I snorted.

“Though I will admit,” she continued. “He’s never been one to follow rules or instructions, so I’m not surprised you sealed your bond before the first date phase was over.”

“A rule breaker, yeah? He’ll have to keep up.”

“Don’t tell him that.” She sighed in exasperation. “You’ll spend the next fifty years trying to keep up with him.”

I tilted my head to the left, studying her as she glanced over a rack of crop tops. “You do know who I am, right?”

She stopped, her hand poised to grab a shirt before she turned to face me. “I know who you want other people to think you are. That person and the one standing here with me are two worlds apart.”

“You don’t believe the rumors about me?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“I believe what I see. What I feel. What I hear… You may be all the things they say you are, but you’re more than you give yourself credit for. Fighters fight, Sloane. But lovers fight too. You can kill and save at the same time. Sometimes torture is good for the soul, though most prefer it in an alternative manner. More sexual, less cynical. There’s something freeing about letting go. Do you know who you are when you let go and live?”

Her eyes were alight, waiting for an answer I didn’t have. Or maybe I did, and I just needed a push to believe it.

“Ouch,” I murmured, giving her the best reply I could. “I wasn’t ready for a therapy session.”

“And I wasn’t looking for advice today.” She shrugged. “But I still got it.”

“How so?”

“There’s something freeing about letting go,” Blaire repeated, a grin on her face as she wandered toward the cashier.

Baylor’s Bet

Saturday, August 29th

Early Morning

Baton Rouge was sticky with humidity in late summer, but that didn’t stop Barbie from skipping across the dew-covered lawns of all the houses in Blaire’s neighborhood.

Yes.

Skipping.

Fuck private property.