Page 19 of The Perfect Love

“That’s kind of adorable.”

I groan in response and she laughs.

“So, you have a sister?”

“Kind of. It’s not biological, but we grew up together as best friends and my mom pretty much raised her in all the ways that matter. We consider each other siblings. Her name’s Hyla, and you’ll probably hear her mentioned, especially if you hang out with the girls more. She and Mackenzie have a history.”

Chelsea tilts her head. “Is that your not-so-subtle way of letting me know she’s not a threat?”

“Not exactly, but I know how people can be about male-female friendships. Aaron and Rae are a perfect example of why people could be concerned, but Rae and Joel are the perfect example of not needing to be concerned at all. Even Amanda asked if Hyla and I had ever hooked up.” I pause, swallowing back my nausea becauseew. “But we’ve always had a sibling relationship.”

“And you have your own little book club with her and your mom. So cute.”

Her wild eyes dance. I’ve never seen anything like them before. They’re mostly blue, but close to the pupil they’re brown.

“Yes, we’ve established I’madorable. What about you?”

She flips her lip out in a pout. “Are you saying I’m not adorable?”

“Only one of the many words I could use to describe you. But I meant what got you into fantasy romance?”

“I’m putting a pin in thewhat other words you could use to describe mequestion that’s on the tip of my tongue. I’ve always loved romance in general because, no offense, book boys are better than real ones.”

My eyebrows shoot up, but I bite my lip, holding back a smirk. I’ll take that challenge.

Then Chelsea continues. “Romance is a genre written primarily by women for women. So they know what their audience wants. They give us a healthy representation of reliable men, who are not infallible, but work hard to be good humans. That’s a lot more than we get from most men in real life. Romance is a safe place. I’ve been leaning heavier into fantasy lately because…” She sighs and drops her voice, looking at the fire. “I’ve needed more of an escape from reality lately.”

I reach over and run my hand down her arm. “I get it.”

We haven’t talked about why either of us transferred here, and I’m not in a rush to do that. Tonight is about getting to know each other, feeling things out, and seeing if the crazy connection we felt can actually lead somewhere.

She turns toward me, her lips parting slightly, and it takes all my willpower not to stare at them. Before she says anything, a shiver runs through her.

I stand up and hold out my hand. “We should head inside. The fire’s dying down and now that the cool fall air is creeping in, nights get chilly.”

She uses my hand to pull herself up, and I grab the nearby bucket of water to douse the fire. Then we head inside, passing Amanda, Mackie, and Miles sitting on the back deck on the way in.

Rae almost fell asleep sitting on Aaron’s lap by the fire, so after apologizing to Chelsea, she let Aaron take her upstairs. Chelsea didn’t seem to mind, and we sat by the fire together talking as everyone else slowly left.

Joel’s in the kitchen as we pass by, but Sarah went upstairs a while ago. She’s in the accelerated nursing program and already working her butt off.

“So much warmer in here,” Chelsea says happily.

“There are a ton of blankets too, if you need one.”

“Thanks.”

I grab two bottles of water and join her on the couch.

“So, what were we talking about?”

“How much better fantasy men are than real men.”

Joel snickers as he walks by, and I throw my middle finger up at him.

“You’re determined to hurt my feelings, aren’t you?”

“Just making sure you know I have very high standards. If you’re not going to kill your way across a continent to save me, is it really true love?”

---