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“That’s a lot of power you’re giving me.”

“I don’t mind.”

She laughs. “What did you want to be when you were a kid?”

“What did I want to be?”

“Yeah. Like, I wanted to be a ballerina since I was five. That or a vet for a very, very brief stint in middle school until I realized that it wasn’t just looking after cute animals but also dealing with them dying, which is extremely depressing to think about. I can’t even watch movies where an animal dies, imagine having to tell a pet owner that their—ugh, I can’t even say it. Nope. Back to my question. What did you want to be? I kind of get astronaut-kid vibes.”

I chuckle. “Astronaut-kid vibes?”

“That’s not a bad thing! It’s a compliment. You seem like the sort of person who’s always reaching for the stars, always wanting to be more than what the world offers.”

That is strangely flattering and also oddly accurate. I’m not sure how she’d managed to notice that about me.

“Okay, I believe you. Thank you for the compliment.”

“You haven’t answered my question.”

“All right, all right. A kid, huh?” I try to think back. “Probably a firefighter.”

“Really?” She says it like it’s the most out of pocket thing she’s ever heard.

“What? You can’t see me as a firefighter?”

“Well, I guess I could see you on one of those hunky calendars. Just wearing the pants and suspenders, body slick with sweat and soot.”

“I knew it. You do think I’m hot.”

“I—Oh, look at that. It’s my apartment. Well, gotta go. Great talking to you. Byeeee.”

“Verity—”

She hangs up on me. She actually hangs up on me.

That’s the second time she’s avoided that statement.

I laugh to myself, draining the last of my whiskey and heading back inside.

One simple conversation with her and that headache from earlier has completely gone away. The stress that weighed on my shoulders all day, that I carried with me all the way home, had drifted off as she had me hanging on her every word.

I am more determined than ever to keep that girl in my life.

CHAPTER NINE

VERITY

“Does my left boob look weird?”

Hannah squints at my chest. “No, it looks normal.”

“Are you sure? I feel like the–”

“Vee. Trust me. Your tits look phenomenal. I wish I had giant melons like yours instead of these little apricots. Now stop overthinking your outfit and do me a favor by grabbing more seltzer from the fridge.”

I let out a huff through my nose, sparing one last glance at myself in the mirror before I turn on my heel and leave Hannah to finish her makeup.

“Fine. What flavor?”