Page 82 of All the Right Words

‘If you heard me say I love you, then yes,’ Gina repeated, fighting the urge to run to the bedroom and hide under her duvet.

Harper started laughing again. Gina was shocked and hurt. She immediately tried to sarcasm her way out of it. ‘Well, I guess you could have reacted worse. You could have stabbed me in the face.’

‘No, no, wait!’ Harper said, and she ran off to the hall and reappeared with a book. She handed it to Gina. She examined it. It was a beautiful cover, swirls of colour and light. And it had her book title and her name on it.

‘But it doesn’t exist yet,’ Gina exclaimed. She opened the book to the middle. Blank pages.

‘I know it’s not a real book yet. But I wanted to create a cover the way I see it so that you could hold it and it wouldfeelreal. It’s only an idea. The art department at your publisher will do something a lot better.’

‘No, they won’t,’ Gina told her with confidence. ‘They’re going to use this one. It’s perfect.’

‘They won’t want to do that,’ Harper said dismissively. ‘They’ve got their own people for that. Experienced people.’

‘Nothing better will ever exist. This is it. It’s perfect. I’m gonna show them, and they’ll agree. You’ll see.’ Gina looked at it again, astounded. This would be her book. A real thing that existed outside of her head. ‘Thank you. It’s a beautiful gift-’

‘That’s not the gift,’ Harper said. ‘Open it. To the first page.’

Gina opened the cover. On the inside page was an inscription in Harper’s exquisite handwriting.

Before this book is filled with your beautiful words, it contains just a few of mine. The ones I’ve been too scared to say. I love you.

Gina looked at those words for a long time before she could lift her head. She was furious to realise she was crying. She felt like a child.

‘Oh my god. I didn’t mean to break you,’ Harper said, stunned.

‘Well, you did,’ Gina said through hot tears. ‘In a lot of ways. And it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’

Harper beamed. ‘Oh, for gods sakes, now I’m going.’ She wiped away a quick tear.

Gina was not used to this much emotion, and though she was trying to grow into someone who could handle it, she’d reached a limit for the day. She wiped her face and got her shit together. ‘So, we’re in love. Cool. Now, about that pizza?’

Harper smiled at Gina. Gina knew Harper knew her well enough to understand that she wasn’t brushing past this, that it was simply a lot for her. She could read Gina like a book. ‘Yes, we’re in love. And I’d also love some pepperoni.’

‘That’ll work.’ Gina put the order in.

They turned off the news and put on Netflix, snuggling happily while they waited for the pizza. Gina thanked the universe for aligning to place her in the employ of a couple of incompetent fraudsters. Without their selfishness, she wouldn’t be where she was—on her shitty old sofa, waiting for a pizza, with the woman of her dreams.