Page 47 of Begin Again

As soon as I read his text, I drop my phone onto the couch like it’s on fire, staring at it as if it might explode. Did I really just invite Theo over to my place? To bake? Me? Baking? In front of a man who can actually cook?

Celeste is practically bouncing in her seat, eyes sparkling with pure, unfiltered chaos. “This is the best thing that’s happened all week. You’re going to bake, you’re going to flirt, and he’s going to fall for you so hard he won’t know what hit him.”

“Or I’ll burn the cookies, and he’ll never speak to me again,” I mutter.

Celeste waves me off. “Oh, please. I’ll make sure the fire extinguisher’s handy. And if things get too hot in the kitchen—” she waggles her brows “—just remember, I support all life choices.”

I groan, shoving a pillow at her, but I’m already laughing despite the nerves twisting in my stomach. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

Celeste flops back onto the couch, stretching like a cat. “You know, I don’t get why you didn’t follow me into music. You’ve got the voice for it.”

I snort, reaching for a bottle of polish that somehow escaped Valkyrie’s destruction. “Please. You’re the one who has all the performing genes. I can’t even hum a song without sounding like a dying goose.”

She gasps, affronted. “Lies! I just listened to you sing as a way to try and distract me! You’re way better than you think.”

I roll my eyes, but her words spread a warmth in my chest. “Even if that were true, I like sketching. Art is my thing. It makes sense in my head in a way performing never did.”

Celeste hums, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I get that. Creating something from nothing, bringing an idea to life—it’s like songwriting, I guess. Different medium, same magic.”

I smile at that. “Yeah, exactly.”

She turns to me, her expression softer now. “Okay, so if you could do anything—like, no limits, no ‘but what ifs’—what would you want to do with your art?”

The question catches me off guard. I’ve always drawn, always sketched, but I’ve never really thought about it in those terms. It’s always just beenmine. A way to see the world differently.

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I think… I’d want to do work that lasts. Work that makes people feel deeply. Like, when you look at a painting, and it just hits you, you know?”

Celeste nods, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah. That’s how I feel when I hear a song that just gets me.”

For a moment, we just sit there, the usual teasing giving way to a quieter moment, unspoken but understood.

Then she ruins it.

“Okay, but if you did start a band, you’d totally have to be the mysterious, brooding artist type. I can see it now: dark eyeliner, tragic backstory, only speaking in poetic metaphors—”

I groan, chucking a nail polish bottle at her. “Oh my God, Celeste.”

She cackles, throwing her head back but still somehow dodging the flying bottle effortlessly. “I’m just saying! We’d make a great duo.”

Valkyrie, as if in agreement, lets out a low woof before dramatically flopping onto her side.

I shake my head, laughing. “I’ll stick to sketching, thanks.”

“Fine, fine,” Celeste concedes. “But when you inevitably change your mind, I get to be your manager.”

“Deal,” I say, rolling my eyes. “But only if you promise to stop trying to set my love life on fire.”

She grins. “No promises.”

14

Selene

Istand in front of my closet, my arms crossed, glaring at the disaster zone I’ve created. Clothes are everywhere—draped over the bed, piled on the chair, half-folded, and then abandoned on the floor. Nothing feels right.

Celeste, who has been lying on my bed like a lounging cat, lets out a very dramatic sigh. “Selene, babe, you’re in hell. I can see it. I can feel it.” She gestures vaguely toward my pile of discarded clothes. “But it’s time to face facts: you’re never going to find the perfect outfit, because you’ll never think it’s perfect.”

I groan, grabbing another sweater off a hanger and holding it up against myself. “I just—ugh, I don’t know. I want to look cute but not like I’mtryingto look cute, and I don’t want to seem like I caretoo much,even though I obviously care way too much.”

---