Page 44 of Where We Belong

She straightens. “Curious, are we?”

“Very.”

A pause, then her lips curl into the most devilish smirk I’ve ever seen.

“You know, I might have a deal for you,” she purrs.

It sounds like bad news.

I grin. “Tell me.”

“Fuck no.”

She bats her lashes before pushing the plate closer to me.

“I’m not eating that,” I say.

“But I thought you wanted to get to know me.”

“Lexie.”

She slowly twists the plate clockwise. “I guess you’re not as curious about me as I thought, then.”

My jaw is clenched as I look down the table, once again fighting a painful gag.

Lexie’s amazing idea consisted of going to find all the possible foods that would make a picky eater like me die, and for each bite, I get to ask whatever question I want. She asked me to close my eyes as she prepared the plate, and once it was brought out, she started enumerating what everything in it was. I had to stop her midway because I felt like dying.

“You truly can find all sorts of uncommon stuff at the grocery store.”

Hand on my mouth, I steal another glance down. “I can’t.”

She shrugs. “All righty, then. No information for you.” In one swift move, she gets up from her chair and leans forward to grab the plate.

“No, wait.”

Her eyes light up. The brat knows what she’s doing, and damn me, it’s working. Too well, if I’m being honest.

“But if we do this,” I say, “I can ask anything.”

Her nostrils flare, only once. “To the limits of reasonableness, yeah, I guess.”

“Fine.”

God, I can’t believe I’m even considering eating this. Pork testicles. Chicken liver. Cricket-protein muffin. A funny-smelling yellowish smoothie that makes me want to puke just looking at it.

At the speed of a snail, I crumble part of the muffin so I can pick the tiniest bit in my fingers. Keeping it far away from my face, I dig through my brain to find what I want to ask. It has to be worth it.

Finally, I land on, “Why did you really come to Vermont?”

Her smile dims, eyes dulling, but after a while, she nods, then points at the muffin.

Fuck my life.

Without giving myself the time to think it through, I push it into my mouth and swallow without chewing. It tastes like a regular muffin, I think, but just imagining what’s in it gives me a whole-body shudder.

It takes all of one second before Lexie bursts out laughing. “Oh my god, I never thought you’d actually do it. Good job, Finland. I’m proud of you.”

“Answer, heathen.”

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