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—and I’m unhappy to realize I’m absolutely right.










Chapter Three

THE STUNT HARNESS DIGSinto my ribs as I swing through the air, but I barely notice. This is the part I love the most about my job, with gravity becoming optional as the world blurs into pure motion. Twenty feet up, cables singing, my body knows exactly what to do even if my brain is still processing everything that happened three days ago.

“Cut! Perfect! That’s a wrap on the warehouse sequence!”

The riggers lower me down slowly, and I’m already unhooking myself before my feet fully touch the ground. Around me, the crew bustles with the organized chaos of a film set switching between setups. Lights being repositioned, cameras rolling to new marks, the constant dance I’ve been part of since I was eighteen and hired entirely on the strength of my background in martial arts.

”Over here, Sam!” Anastasia waves me over from where she’s waiting with our packed lunches. My roommate is seated with her legs tucked on a foldable chair, and even in jeans and a ratty hoodie, she looks like a fairytale princess with her long blond hair, soft blue eyes, and rosy complexion.

“How did I do?”

Anastasia flashes a thumbs-up sign, and I allow myself a quick grin while peeling off my gloves.

“That looks bad,” the other girl says with a wince when she notices the fresh rope burns.

“It will heal,” I assure her while reaching for my lunch, andoooh.

I take an appreciative sniff, and my heart sings. They say the way to a man’s heart is through a stomach, but mine’s got the same address, and it’s #1 Philly Cheese Sandwich Lane, Homemade Fries City, Zip Code: Garlic Parmesan Dip.

Thank You, God, for giving me a hearth goddess for a roommate.

Anastasia laughs when she sees me closing my eyes in bliss at the first bite. “You’re too easy to please.”

I can’t answer her, presently occupied as I am with a lot of chomping.

“Or should I use the past tense now—”

Flying without wings burns a lot of calories—

“Since you’ve finally found someone that meets your exceptionally high standards when it comes to dating?”

And that means I have every right to eat more than thrice a day—wait a minute, did Anastasia just say what?

I lower my sandwich just as Anastasia shows me her phone. “You’re trending, Sam.”