Page 22 of Bewitch

“Good-looking?”

“Why are the assholes always hot?” I complain.

“All guys have issues,” she says.

“Yeah, all girls too.”

“Tell me about it.” She looks off into the distance and huffs a sigh.

“Maybe we can go grocery shopping together.”

“Definitely.”

“And I can replace what I ate the other night.”

She lifts her eyebrows.

“The bread, the cheese, lunchmeat… peanut butter…”

“We can try to meal plan,” she says. “I wonder if we know anyone who has a place of their own so we can have access to a stove. We could make casseroles and portion them out.”

“This sounds like a lot of work.” I bite my lower lip. “And how are we going to do that? We don’t have access to an oven or stovetop. And I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this with me.”

“It’s not a big deal,” she assures me.

“I… I do like to bake,” I tell her. “Maybe I can find some recipes that are healthy.”

“Perfect. It’ll be fun, you’ll see. And the more regular food you keep incorporated into your diet, the more likely you are to stick with it.”

“Thanks, Brooke. You’re a gem.”

“As for the oven and stove, we’ll figure that out.” She beams. “If you want to incorporate running—”

I hold up a hand right there. “I don’t want this to overrun my life, you know?”

“Got it. Baby steps anyhow, or maybe not. A personal trainer. Damn. Can you sneak a pic of him, you think?”

“Probably. Why?”

“You can use it as motivation.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

My stomach twists into knots. “I don’t know. He’s… I would have to work out really hard and lose a lot of weight to get him to even consider me, and then who am I kidding? He still won’t want me because he’ll always see me like I am now.”

Brooke furrows her brow and grabs my hand. She pulls, and I oblige and stand. She walks me in front of our sink and turns me to see the mirror with her standing behind me, her chin on my shoulder.

“Do you want to know what I see when I look in that mirror?” she demands and then continues before I can stop her. “I see a confident—”

I snort.

“…young lady with a golden complexion that most girls would die for and have to risk using tanning beds and get all orange. Her large brown eyes look like anime eyes. What guy wouldn’t want to stare into them? And your long wavy hair? It’s so shiny and perfect. No split ends. Seriously. You have so much going for you, not just on the outside but on the inside. I wasn’t sure what to think about you when we first met because I didn’t know you, but I am so happy you’re my roommate. You’re stuck with me, and I hope you don’t mind that.”

I laugh and shake my head. “You just like my useless knowledge.”

“Oh, yeah. Trivia night, you are definitely my partner. Sorry, Declan.”

We giggle.

“How about we watch a movie?” I suggest. “Or are you meeting up with Declan tonight?”

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