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I nod, unlock the phone, and pass it over without looking. His reaction isnotwhat I expected. He actually laughs out loud, then covers his mouth and passes the phone back to me.

“What?!” I demand. “What did she say?” I snatch the phone back as Ben continues to laugh, and Annie reads the messages over my shoulder.

Hey Teddy

I need to ask you something, and it might be weird, so I’m sorry, but…did you meet someone new?

Yesterday I got a text from Mrs. Reynolds, the lady downstairs, asking if I could please ‘keep it down while engaging in premarital relations’, and then this morning she sent me another one

I don’t think she realizes I moved out

I know it’s none of my business

I shouldn’t have asked

I’m so sorry, please don’t answer

“Oh my God! This is terrible!” I drop my phone onto the counter, caught somewhere between laughing and crying, then bury my face in my hands, but I can still hear Annie and Ben giggling. “She’s gonna tellhersister, who’s gonna tellmysister, who’s gonna fuckinggrillme!”

“Who the hell says ‘premarital relations’ anyway?” Ben asks, his shoulders still shaking as he takes a knife from the block. I look up and can’t help but smile at the pure glee on his face.

“I’ll have to apologize to Mrs. Reynolds next time I see her,” I snort. “Should I…should I reply to Ros?”

Ben shrugs and grins. “Nah. Let her sweat it out.”

“Or perhaps next time, Ben should be the loud one,” says Annie with a mischievous look. “That will really give Mrs. Reynolds something to report.”

Ben and I both laugh, and I can’t help but notice the way he looks at her. It’s hopeful, like her newfound sense of humor is a sign that maybe we can keep her here and all be together. Especially after today, introducing them both to my friends, and Ben getting the thing with Niko off his shoulders, I want to feel optimistic.

I want this to be my life. I want to do this with both of them every single day, but the logical part of my brain knows how out of reach that is. I glance back at the half-repaired wall and the remnants of my coffee table, which we pushed to the side of the room for now. Everything with Annie seemed fine today, no hint of the demon attempting to take over, but I can’t help thinking it’s only a matter of time. Besides, being this close to her and not be able to do much of anything beyond holding hands is absolute torture, and I don’t know how much longer I can stand it.

As if she can sense what I’m thinking, she reaches over and puts her fingers on my leg. “Are you alright?” she asks softly.

I clear my throat and start washing my hands so I can help with dinner. “Yeah, just tired and thinking about what I need to do for the cat.”

“Did you guys finishClone Warswhile I was gone?” Ben asks, and I can hear a hint of disappointment in his voice. He likesStar Warsmore than he thought he would, and that makes me extremely happy.

“We actually didn’t. We got up to the last few episodes though. We could probably finish it tonight. I can give you the recap of what you missed.”

“Let’s do it.” Ben begins to work faster, making grilled cheese and tomato soup, and Annie takes over as sous chef when I go to check on the cat. He’s curled on a blanket in the corner of the laundry room, and he chirps at me when I open the door. It’s a funny little noise for a funny little cat. I’m happy I picked him. When I sit down cross-legged on the floor, he chirps again, then stretches and wanders over to bump his head on my knee.

Keeping my voice down, I tell him, “Look, bud, I know you can probably sense that she’s not really human, but…I need you to be nice to Annie, alright? She’s having a tough time lately, and I think it would make her really happy if you wanted to be her friend. Deal?”

He peers up at me with his big, green eyes, and I scratch him behind the ears. When I leave the room, I also leave the door open, and he follows me cautiously into the hall. Annie and Ben are still in the kitchen, so I linger by the bathroom door for a moment to watch them.

They’re at the stove together, Ben with his arms around her waist while she holds the frying pan and a spatula. What clearly started as a cooking tutorial is turning into an excuse for Ben to kiss her neck as many times as he can and run his hands over her curves, but she’s giggling and blushing. The soft part of me melts as I watch them, silently thanking whatever weird forces of the universe caused us all to crash into each other.

I’d like to think that I’m not naive about relationships. Ros and I had our share of ups and downs, but we worked through those things. I want to do that with Ben and Annie now. The cynical part of me whispers that it won’t work, that it won’t last, that it’s too much and too quick and too fraught, but I don’t care anymore. That soft part of me, the part that loves them, is finally starting to win out.

In this moment, I’m all too willing to lay everything I am at their feet–and it doesn’t scare me anymore.

36

Annie

Ben hands me abowl of the creamy tomato soup we made, along with a plate stacked with grilled cheese sandwiches, and a large bottle of my favorite hot sauce. I pour some into the soup, then drizzle more over my sandwich. The delicious burn of the first bite travels up my nose, then down my throat, and I let out a satisfied sigh as I settle onto the couch with a blanket. Theo sits in the chair with his bowl and the TV remote. He finds the episode ofClone Warsthat we left off on while Ben was away, then waits until we are all ready. Ben flops beside me on the couch and pulls me under his arm with a kiss.

A strange, new sensation comes over me as the show begins and I eat my dinner. It is heavy, but in a good way. Warm, but not burning. I want to ask Ben what this feeling could be, but he is quite focused on the show now, and I cannot help but smile. Theo has certainly converted him into aStar Warsfan. I make a mental note to involve my Princess Leia outfit the next time we are in the bedroom, or the shower…or the car…or on the couch…