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A laugh burst from me, startling the woman next to me. She lifts her gaze from her phone to glare at me.
Me: Didn't we play this game before?
Nova: Wasn't it fun?
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, reveling in the feeling of ten pairs of butterfly wings tickling the inside of my stomach.
Me: The movie was fun
Nova: Say the word, sweetheart, and I'm there.
Me: Word
My fingers fly over my screen before I even really think about it. It feels a little silly to admit it, but he has a way of making me feel confident and aware of my body in a sexual way that I've never really experienced before. I don't know anyone thatdoesn'thave insecurities, but when I'm with him—with Bane too—it all just sort of melts away.
It makes me feel reckless and foolish to even think these things. But that doesn't make the feelings any less real.
Nova: Strip, sweetheart
Nova: Then video call me
I imagine his smirk and his infuriatingly charming dimple winking at me, and I shake my head to stifle my grin.
Me: Can't. I have company
My phone vibrates in my hand with an incoming video call from Nova. I hit decline just as the barista calls my name.
Nova: Don't tease me, baby. I know there's no Charlie
I snag my drink and murmur my thanks, but the barista is already helping the next person in line. Flipping my sunglasses over my eyes, I leave the coffee shop, one hand holding my drink and the other texting my boyfriend.
Me: That's your first mistake, baby. Charlie will always be number one
Nova: Charlie's a dead man, sweetheart. Say your goodbyes
I'm giggling, absentmindedly sipping from my straw, texting one-handed, and walking down Main Street without really paying attention.
Me: How am I supposed to build my menagerie of men if you keep threatening them?
Nova: There is no menagerie
Me: A collection then
Nova: A collection of dead men. It has a nice ring to it
Me: What about Bane?
He doesn't answer right away, and I worry my bottom lip. My heart thuds inside my chest, a pitiful thump. My eyes feel dry as I refuse to blink, keeping my gaze trained on my phone. Someone shoulder-checks me, jerking my entire body to the right. I stumble a few steps, tripping over the raised crack in the sidewalk. I accidentally squeeze my coffee cup, and chai sloshes out of the top. Thankfully, I keep my grip on my phone.
I expect the person to apologize, but instead, all I see is their retreating back, covered in a black leather jacket with some kind of grim reaper on the back. It doesn't look like Nova's or Bane's though. The shape is all wrong and there's no scythe.
I stare in disbelief, looking around me to see if anyone else noticed it, but the only other people on the sidewalk are engrossed in their own conversations.
I sigh and resume my walk back to my car, opening my text thread with Nova to see if he responded.
Nova: I'll allow it on one condition
Me: I don't need your permission, you know
