Page 68 of The Snowball Effect

She could feel every warm breath Regan exhaled, washing over her jaw, as their eyes were only inches apart, and it – it was jarring. She’d never stood so close to Regan in her life, close enough to see that there were little flecks of amber starbursting around her pupils.

Her stomach fluttered for an entirely different reason, and Emma found her breath catching in her throat, before she remembered abruptlywhyRegan was standing so close, staring at her like this.

She’d never been so relieved to have reality crash back down on her, and she found herself nodding, “Uh… I guess Saturday works for me, too.”

Okay, so, they were doing this, still. Both because it made Emma’s life easier in the immediacy in dealing with her mother, and because it allowed her the freedom to pull back, away from being so startlingly close to Regan.

Kimberly’s answering squeal of excitement waspiercing. “Saturday is perfect! I’ll see you both then!”

The silence in the hallway was deafening when Kimberly hung up.

She was still trying to process it when Regan tentatively spoke, “That was, kind of, my act-first, think-later mentality. It seemed like you were in a pickle, still, so I’m sor–”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Emma cut in, not needing or wanting to hear Regan’s apology.

Sure, maybe Regan had jumped into her crazy lie. But Emma was the one who had made this situation unnecessarily complicated by avoiding telling the truth in the first place.

“This weird lie is what got us into that… predicament,” Emma said, because it was the truth. She’d spiraled and accidentally insulted Regan because her grandmother had found out about the lie. “So, I’m not holding you to it or anything; it’s not why I’m doing this,” she gestured between them.

Crazily, it was the truth.

“I know. But if it makes your life a little easier right now with your complicated-mom-stuff, why wouldn’t I do it? I already told you that I love a little scheme. This is what friends are for. Besides, I really don’t have any plans Saturday night.”

Regan said the words so simply, so easily, as she unlocked their apartment door.

It was as if she wasn’t doing Emma a giant favor, as if she wasn’t going along with this lie, helping Emma out, and giving up her own weekend night off to do so.

And Emma stared at Regan, feeling like she finally –finally– understood. Like everything really was clicking into place.

She’d wondered for years why Sutton was such a staunch friend to Regan, even when Regan did crazy things like message women on her behalf on dating apps or got them lost on road trips. Why Sutton wasn’t bothered by Regan’s eccentricities or lack of ambition.

Butthiswas why.

Because Regan did things like show up to take her friends out to dinner, listened to every story with intent, and remembered every detail. Because she was willing to throw her own lot in with someone she cared about and ride out the storm together.

She felt like she’d put in the final puzzle piece.

And she didn’t realize how intently she’d been staring at Regan until Regan turned to face her and asked, “Do I havesomething on my face?” She was already reaching up and brushing the back of her hand over her cheek before Emma answered.

Emma flushed, shaking her head intently as she dropped her gaze. “No. You’re good.”

ButEmmawasn’t – she was getting pulled into Regan’s crazy orbit! If she weren’t careful, the next thing she knew,she’dbe the one getting traumatized on impromptu weekend road trips!

“It’s EditorialEmma,” she said, deliberately averting her stare as she shut the door behind her.

“What is?”

“My book-reviewing name,” she explained, breathing through the weird feeling in the pit of her stomach at beingvulnerable. But Regan was doing her a favor, and Emma liked to replay favors to make sure everything was even.

Regan’s face absolutely lit up at the information, and her obvious excitement helped quell Emma’s embarrassment. “You just saved me so much time I’d already mentally set aside for tonight to find your secret social medias!”

Oh no. It reallywashappening. She should have found Regan’s determination to find Emma’s private accounts annoying, an invasion of privacy.

Instead, she found it… was thisendearment?

It was, she realized, as she watched Regan do a little excited dance as she walked down the hallway.

God help her.

---