Page 78 of Red Zone

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Princess: Is that your idea of a pickup line?

Nope

that was a suggestion

and a very generous offer

from a guy who knows his way around a couch, a blanket, and streaming passwords

Princess: …you’re such a menace

and yet

you’re still typing

Princess: You’re lucky I’m bored

you’re lucky I’m cute

Princess:

don’t fight it, Red

you already let me hold you in a closet

next logical step: movies, snacks, emotional denial together

in sweatpants

Princess: …you do have a weirdly convincing argument

I’ll provide the snacks this time

you bring that scary good attitude of yours

deal?

She doesn’t answer right away. I let her take her time. I know her well enough now to get that she doesn’t jump into things, even when she wants to.

Finally she responds.

Princess: Fine. But I get the remote

Princess: and you don’t talk during the movie

Deal. See you soon.

I don’t know what she’s doing on her end of the phone, but on mine, I’m staring at that last message longer than I should.

At the beginning of something that’s probably going to ruin me.

But honestly?

I’ve never looked forward to being alone this much in my life.

I hear the knock before the doorbell rings, and I already know it’s her.

No one else knocks like that. Two knocks, pause, two knocks.

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