Page 9 of Embody

“Oh, sorry,” she shakes her head and moves her feet. “So, what all was in the stuff sent over? I…uh…just want to make sure they didn’t forget anything.”

“These sunglasses for one.” I slide them down my nose and smirk at her before climbing in the car. “But they’re too much, Brynn. Really, no more gifts for a while or you’ll make me feel bad,” I add when she’s behind the wheel.

“Uh huh,” she mumbles to herself, pulling out of the lot. “Go on, what else was there?”

I laugh as I tell her, because she already knows, but is doing one helluva job acting like she doesn’t. Then, as gently as possible, I explain my concerns with the available material on the bikini and my doubts in its ability to cover all my assets.

“You can try it on when we get there. After the adults go inside, you can put it on. It’ll just be The Squad and they don't mind. Presley’s pretty built herself and definitely not afraid to show it. If it even remotely fits, I’m gonna have to insist you wear it,” she says with a peculiar edge to her voice, a tiny, almost evil looking curl to her lip.

“Oh, okay,” I agree, despite the weird inkling in my gut that I shouldn’t.

“Here we are,” she announces, turning down a never-ending driveway lined with perfectly placed trees, alive with full, beautiful pink blooms, and up ahead…I see her house. Estate. Mansion.

I’m unsure of the correct term exactly.

I know she hears my gulp. “This is where you live?”

“For the time being, but something tells me my chances of getting permission to move into an apartment with you just skyrocketed.”

“Why is that?”

“Because there’s influence in numbers andsomeonejust bought themselves a ticket on my team,” she grits out.

No idea what that means and not what I was asking.

“No, I mean, why would you possibly want to move out ofthisto share an apartment with me?”

“Oh,” she laughs. “Because it may look huge, but trust me, it doesn’t feel that way. You’d be surprised how much it seems like living under a microscope, while trapped in a shoebox. I’m long overdue for some freedom, independence. Anyway, come on, let’s go introduce ya to the fam. You’re gonna love them.”

 

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