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Two By Two

Page 50

by M.J. Duncan

Zann hummed and kissed her cheek. “Unless math nerdery is your thing, you’re not gonna want to touch it with a ten-foot pole.” She chuckled when Lydia grimaced, and nuzzled her cheek. “You sure? I can bring my copy when I come to New York.”

“Mm, I’m sure,” Lydia said as she turned to look at her, and Zann’s heart fluttered into her throat at the affection that lit her expression as she lifted her free hand to caress her cheek. “But if it means you get back to me sooner,” she murmured, “I’ll suffer through it as soon as I can get a cell signal and download it to my phone.”

Zann smiled. “You must really like me.”

The thumb stroking Zann’s cheek dipped to her lips as Lydia nodded solemnly. “I do.”

“That’s good,” Zann exhaled, a now familiar, buzzy, golden feeling erupting in her chest and spreading outward like the shockwaves of a supernova. I love you, she thought as she puckered her lips to kiss Lydia’s thumb. But it was too soon to say that aloud, so instead she said, “Because I really like you, too.”

After a day spent galivanting around outside, Lydia was secretly glad that the itinerary for the evening was what basically amounted to a giant slumber party at Aspen and Eve’s cottage.

Of course, her ideal evening would have been a private slumber party with Zann back at their cottage, but if she wasn’t able to have that, this was a pretty good alternative.

She wasn’t sure how their backs would fare sleeping on the floor like a bunch of kids, even with the mountain of blankets and pillows that were strewn across the modest living room, but a relaxed movie night with shitty delivery pizza and a couple of cases of decidedly un-shitty wine was infinitely more appealing than spending another night out on the town.

Still, they were all grown-ass adults, and the living room wasn’t exactly huge.

She grabbed Zann’s arm and tipped up onto the balls of her feet so she could whisper against her ear, “Are you sure we’ll all fit?”

“Eh…” Zann’s bicep flexed under Lydia’s grip as she turned to press a quick kiss to her lips. “I think we’ll be able to squeeze in.”

“Please,” Kit scoffed, smirking as she pushed past them in a pastel, rainbow-hued unicorn onesie complete with a magnificent opalescent horn on its hood. She waved at them with the glass of wine in her hand for emphasis. “Like you aren’t going to be on top of each other all night.”

Lydia flipped her off while Zann asked, “What the fuck are you wearing?”

“Pajamas. What are you wearing?” Kit retorted, scowling at the leggings and sweatshirts they had both changed into after they’d showered from their island adventure like they offended her.

“Heads up, coming through!” Jack yelled as he slipped past them with a stack of pizza boxes held over his head.

“Holy shit.” Zann pointed at the opalescent tail on Jack’s unicorn onesie that swished with his steps. “He’s got one too?”

Lydia shook her head fondly. “Does that really surprise you?”

“Honestly?” Zann’s cheeks puffed with a slow exhale. “Not even a little bit.”

Kit arched a brow at them and sipped at her wine as she leaned against the back of the couch. “You’re just jealous that we’re the fun ones.”

“Oh yes,” Zann drawled. “That’s totally it.”

Lydia pressed her face into Zann’s shoulder to hide her smile at the affronted gasp that sass got her. At the sound of the door opening, she grabbed Zann’s hand and pulled her out of the way so the new arrivals could join the shitshow. She nodded hello to Michael, and then Bonnie and Shannon, who were right behind him. “Hey, guys.”

“What’d we miss?” Shannon asked.

Before Lydia could even think of responding, Jack wandered out of the kitchen with a bottle of wine held aloft in each hand, calling, “Who wants some?”

Michael squealed and wagged an accusing finger between Kit and Jack. “Fuck the wine! I want a onesie!”

“Bedroom, boy-o.” Kit grinned and tipped her head toward the doorway on the far side of the living room. As Michael whooped and scampered off, she pointed at the rest of the group with her wine as she added, “You all, too.”

Shannon brightened. “Yeah?” When Kit nodded, she grabbed Bonnie by the hand and dragged her toward the bedroom after Michael.

Kit’s eyes followed Shannon and Bonnie, and she sipped at her wine as she turned back to Lydia and Zann. “You too, lovebirds.”

“Yeah.” Zann held up a hand and shook her head. “No, thank you. I’m good.”

Lydia chuckled when Kit pointed at Zann with an aggrieved, “Rude,” and wasn’t even surprised when that feigned affront morphed into a smirk that radiated playful challenge as she told Zann, “Yes, thank you. We need to make this big, gay sleepover movie night for the big, gay wedding as gay as humanly fucking possible, and that means you’re putting your masc gay ass in a unicorn onesie.”

Zann arched a brow at her. “Are you just trying to see how many times you can say ‘gay’ in one sentence?”