Page 152 of Begin Again Again

“Yeah, I liked him better when he was in that movie about the mammoth.” Byron had wrapped his arms around her. “I have two testicles, you know?”

That had ended the conversation, yet here she was holding a box full of love cookies, and unlike Miranda, she was filled with nothing but certainty. Byron loved her. She loved him. Everything was going to be okay. She picked up her phone and texted him.

Thanks for my special delivery. Can I come meet you somewhere before I leave?

She picked up a ‘gin again’ cookie and stuffed it in her mouth, suddenly starving. Her phone buzzed as she was about to eat another.

Meet me at Princes Park at 4? Please?

That was a while to wait, especially since she’d just fucked off her keys. But it didn’t matter. She could hang out in a café. She could hang out in a garbage dump. She hit reply.

Of course. See you at four.

Chapter 24

Beth spotted Byron from a mile away. He was sauntering across the oval, his hands in his pockets and the afternoon sun in his hair. Everyone running around the track glanced at him; some stared. Beth thought back to the day she’d met him and her heart contracted. She’d never stop admiring herself for having the guts to call out to him that day. For making them more than just passing strangers.

“Hi, Horoscopes,” he called.

“Hey, Aquarius.”

He flashed her a mischievous grin. “Wanna know something?”

“Anything.”

“My birthday’s November 14.”

Beth almost spat out the cookie she was eating. “What? Seriously?”

He nodded, beyond pleased with himself.

“You’re a Scorpio… but you’re such an Aquarius!”

“I know. It’s almost like horoscopes are bullshit and all the star signs apply to everyone.”

Beth’s brain was too full to think of an adequate comeback. Something occurred to her. “Youjustturned twenty-five when we met!”

His face fell. “Are you gonna break up with me again?”

“Oh my god, of course not, but—” Beth noticed the extremely smug smile threatening to break thorough Byron’s mock concern. “Alright, fuck you. Let’s put a pin in this. I have greater things to address.”

He sat on the grass beside her. “Fire away.”

Beth wanted to reach across and touch him, but there were things they needed to say first. She held up the box of cookies, significantly lightened by hours in her presence. “So these are delicious.”

“And true.”

She smiled. “Thank you for sending them to me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for being honest.” Byron nudged closer. “They look good, don’t they?”

“They do. Although there was a small complication…” She dug through the pink cookies and pulled out a blue one. “Have a read.”

Byron squinted, then his face fell. “Oh, fuck off! Let’s be ‘gin’again? How does that happen?”

Beth snorted, trying not to laugh.

“Those pricks! I asked! I said, ‘Is it going to fit?’ and they were like ‘Oh yeah, we wouldn’t send them if they didn’t.’ Absolute dogs.”

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