Page 20 of Emerald Moon
“I prep fruit and other things for the tartlets, primarily.Basically, I do a lot of chopping.It’s not that interesting.”
“From what I’ve seen, you must have great knife skills.”
Jo covered their eyes with their hand and squeezed their eyes shut.“Aw, thanks.”
“And it sounds like satisfying work.”
They pulled their hand away and looked up at the ceiling.Letting out another breath slowly, they said, “You know what?It is.It’s nice to be able to see the literal fruits of my labor.”
Cass laughed again.
The sound made Jo unclench their jaw.They reached for their wireless headphones and switched the call to them.Flopping back down on their bed and getting comfortable, they asked, “What did you do at the flower shop today?”
“What I usually do — I ran the register and helped keep the place tidy.”
“Sounds like satisfying work.”Jo grinned.
Back and forth, they shared about their days and, little by little, the calm that Jo felt around Cass returned.Soon they were talking about books they’d read recently.Jo thought about the stack of manga next to their bed and knew they were treading on dangerous territory.They could pretend to be regular or they could dive in and let Cass know everything.
“I actually read a lot of fanfiction,” they said, wading into unknown waters with Cass.
“Oh, like Krista?”
Of course — Krista and Cass were friends.She’d know about some of this stuff, at least on a surface level.“Yep.We actually share a lot of the same stuff with each other.”
“Always nice to have someone to talk to about what you’re reading.”
“Exactly!And, like, books are great and all, don’t get me wrong — got plenty of those — but there’s something about reading about my OTP falling in love over and over again that makes everything feel right with the world.”
“OTP?”
“Your one true pairing.It’s, like, the ship you didn’t choose, but they chose you.They wormed their way into your brain and now you can’t stop thinking about the ship.”
“Ship?”
“Like relationship.They’re my favorite, essentially.Except, it’s not like a normal favorite.It’s a brain-consuming, comfort-bringing kind of favorite.And don’t even get me started on tropes.I’m a sucker for reading my OTP in my faves.Give me only one bed.Give me rivals to lovers.Give me ‘oh my god, they were roommates.’Give me fake dating.”
Cass was quiet on the other end.
Jo panicked, worried that they’d dumped too much of themselves too soon.“It’s like plot lines you can read a million times and never be sick of them.”
“Do you like these things in real life, too?”
Jo was startled by the question.They’d never thought about that.“I don’t know.In real life, they don’t seem to happen.I don’t have rivals to fall in love with.I don’t have plans to get stuck in a cabin in a snowstorm with someone.”
Their mind traveled back to the tent, where Cass was close and leaning in closer.Forced proximity!Only one bed, kind of, because there was only one tent!It had to have been an attempt at a kiss, right?
But those things didn’t happen in real life, especially not to someone like Jo.They forced out a laugh.“I mean, romantic tropes don’t just happen everyday.Real life is different.”
“Do you wish they’d happen in real life, though?”
There was something in her tone that Jo could pick up on, but couldn’t quite read.“Do I wish I could have an adorable meet cute and, through a series of wacky events, fall in love?Yes, absolutely.”Cass was quiet on the other end.“How about you?”
“I don’t know what all those terms mean in books, but if falling in love is on the table, then yes, I’d like that, too.”
Cass’ words worked their way into Jo’s brain and settled there.Silence gripped them for several moments before Jo laughed.“Well, then do I have some great book recs for you whenever you’re ready!Got to find out what tropes you’re into!”
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