Page 44 of Turnabout Is Fair Cosplay
“Lisa and I got back together,” his friend says, sounding serious now.
“How’s that going?”
“It’s going. Maybe you and your neighbor could join us for drinks—”
Mike rolls his eyes and brushes something off the front of his library book. “Come on, man. I’m her despised landlord who has the audacity to demo bathroom tile after nine a.m. Plus, I’ve got the play. It’d be more trouble than it’s worth.”
Mike’s friend laughs.
“What?”
“The quiet ones always are.”
They part, and I think I’ve successfully maintained the ruse that I’ve heard nothing. But then Mike comes over.
He leans against my armchair, obstructing my view of the arboretum. I pull off my headphones, bristling that I’ve been deemedtrouble. “Story time in the children’s section isn’t for another hour.”
“Cute.” He pinches the corner of my rolled yoga mat peeking out of my tote, which makes me jerk it to the other side of my chair.
“You lost?”
“No.”
“Then what?” I ask.
“You look comfortable.”
“Is that a dig? Is that a way of saying I look like I’m not trying? Sloppy? Or, worse, I look privileged?”
“No.” He presses his lips together in a grim smile. “It was my opening statement before I asked if you just came from yoga.”
“Yeah. ‘Sure.’” I do my best to capture Mike’s inflection.
His eyes narrow. “Which studio?”
“Why?”
“So I can avoid it.”
“As scintillating as this conversation is, I have a one o’clock to prepare for.” I grab my notebook and aggressively turn to a blank page. “And I’m not a lawyer. Iwasa lawyer.”
“So you just read legal briefs for fun?”
Inevershould have taken that deal with my mother. “While we’re on the subject of fun, I’d find it super fun if on the weekends you could refrain from all the construction noise until after 10 a.m.” I tug my headphones back into place.
Mike leans in close, and before I can stop him, he toggles a switch on the side of my headphones. I flinch as complete silence envelops my ears.
Mike smirks and says something, but I hear nothing. “What?” I demand, tugging my headphones off.
“I said they work better when they’re turned on.” He straightens. “Fun to see you, Bea.”
He’s gone before I can object, and I hate that he gets the last word.
Chapter 15
“The ocean is the only place to balance all four chakras at once,” Mom informs me ninety minutes later during our lunch date.
I spear a green bean in my yellow curry. “What does that mean?”
