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“Sorry about the pepperoni,” I cut in before she mentions Orion. He can be rowdier than Ripley and Arkham put together.
Jane waves a hand like it’s nothing. “You can grab a stool and a rolling pin.”
Mounds of dough are already lined along the bar counter of the kitchen island. The Queen of Curiosity will have a little princess soon, and I imagine Jane is going to be an amazing mom.
After taking a seat on a green velvet barstool, I scan the industrial-sized kitchen with brick backsplash and forest-green cupboards. Realizing, quickly, no one else is here or in earshot.
I knew the newlyweds—Sulli, Akara, and Banks—would be missing in action since they’re flying home tomorrow. Sulli texted me.
But no one from SFO is around. My stomach sinks for a second. I wonder if they weren’t invited. Should I have invited Donnelly?
Would he have turned me down?
I try not to appear too bummed. With a heavy heart, I plop my dough on the surface a few times. Thatcher and Farrow are dumping the thorny pink roses instead of saving them.
“Who’s still sending you flowers?” I ask Thatcher, since new bouquets are spread throughout the penthouse nearly every day. Thatcher, being the bodyguard that he is, inspects them for mics and must trash the cards before I ever see them.
“Your grandmother.”
Ew. Grandmother Calloway. I mumble that he should trash them all. If Sulli were here, she would’ve been louder about it.
Jane tries not to look bothered. “She’s trying to be nice.”
Moffy has a skeptical expression. “Her niceties usually always come with a stipulation—like asking you to name your daughter Samantha.”
Jane balks. “That’s not happening. My mom would vomit.”
“I’d vomit.”
“We’d all vomit,” Jane notes like it’s fact.
It’s almost been a month since the Summer Fest shooting. Since Thatcher underwent serious surgery and lost his spleen, but you’d think it’s been years after he was shot. Humans are resilient and can bounce back quickly, but there are some humans who hide.
They can hide their hurt. And I suspect Thatcher Moretti is someone who hides what he doesn’t want everyone to see.
My phone pings, and I tap my phone with floury fingers. New DM notification.
Fanaticon.
Sept 14th
6:32 p.m.
StaleBread89: saw you follow Star Wars fandom. I’ve been wanting to get into more. You read the novels or just watch the shows/movies?
I peek over at Orion, who’s circling my barstool now. Wanting to tell my puppy the giddy news, StaleBread69 is interested in Star Wars!
Wait…wait…my heart palpitates, realizing that he clicked into my profile. He took greater interest in me to figure out this interest. I should’ve looked to see which fandoms he follows.
I still can.
First, I reply: Love the comics. I can send you a comic guide, but the movies & shows are a must too. I’ll send you a watch list. Just let me know what you’ve seen.
He’s faster to respond this time.
StaleBread89: already seen the newest movies. Haven’t seen all the shows. Comic list would be fire. Thx.
“There is a guest room if you don’t want to take up space for your nursery,” Moffy says to Jane and Thatcher. “That’s all I’m saying.” This might’ve been a conversation they were having before I arrived.
“Our room is plenty big,” Jane replies breezily.
“I’d rather our baby be close by,” Thatcher adds.
Farrow crosses his arms loosely over his flour-smeared V-neck and leans back into a cabinet. “You going to be a Hall Monitor to your kid?”
“Until she’s eighteen, yes,” Thatcher says like that’s reasonable.
Jane beams like she adores the protectiveness. I have a very protective dad, and I don’t think Thatcher will be exactly like mine, but I can say it has its pros and cons.
I tap StaleBread89’s profile. No profile pic, like mine. Totally anonymous, but he has twenty-two fandom-follows.
“Luna also shares a bathroom with the guest room,” Thatcher reminds Farrow. “We don’t want to bother her.”
I peer up from my phone. “No bother.” Though sharing a bathroom with a newborn baby doesn’t seem like the best scenario, I don’t want to make waves. I want to be a cool roommate. The best roommate. An awesome aunt.
I want to do all of this right.
They continue to bicker about baby things, and I skim StaleBread89’s fandoms:
Following:
Beneath a Strong Sentiment
Game of Thrones
Marvel
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Supernatural
The Expanse
Schitt’s Creek
American Ninja Warrior
Below Deck
Stranger Things
Deadpool
American Horror Story
The Boys
Teen Wolf
The Walking Dead
We Are Calloway
I freeze once I see We Are Calloway on his list. The docuseries that documents my family. That documents me.
He knows who I am.
But then again, he doesn’t know Illyana_Dallas222 is Luna Hale. I ease a bit. So what if he follows WAC? I used to follow it as a teenager. Until I went into the archives and saw a paparazzi pic from a Disneyland trip. I was eating a snow cone near Sulli and Jane.
The thread topic was something like: Which girl is going to grow the best into their looks? The comments made my stomach churn.
