Page 43 of Written in the Stars

“I need coffee.” I take a deep breath. At least two cups for now would be good.

A smile pulls on her lips. “I’ll go make some.”

She jumps up from the couch and speeds to the kitchen.

She’s funny if she thinks I’m going to let her off the hook that easily. I get right up and follow her.

“C’mon, Lissa. Tell me.” I pull out a chair at the table, and as she brews the first cup under the Keurig and then hands it to me, she takes another mug out from the cabinet and makes herself a cup.

“Okay,” she says as she takes a seat and then takes her first sip. “That was Damien. Do you remember my friend, Remy? Well, her husband and Damien are co-workers. They’re on the Glimerton police force. We met back in May of last year but just started seeing one another right before you came to stay with me.”

I almost spit out my coffee at her revelation. “You’ve known this guy for a year and haven’t told me?! And he’s a cop? Hot!”

She chuckles at my comment and then shrugs. “It was nothing at first, Ren. I didn’t want to make a big deal. I didn’t know if it was going to go anywhere. We met one night at Remy’s house. At first, we were just friends hanging out with our friends. But eventually, he asked me for my number and we started talking and spending time together on our own.”

I nod and smile. “And now you’re bumping uglies.”

“Shut up!” she chuckles.

I laugh with her. “Does he make you happy?” I ask, steering the conversation in a serious direction.

“He does, Ren. He really does. He’s the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”

“Then that’s all that matters,” I reply. “I’m happy for you, sis.”

She smiles warmly at me. “Thank you, Ren.” She takes another sip from her mug and then asks, “So how was your day with Zander yesterday?”

Oh, shit. My turn to be put on the spot.

I can’t hide the smile forming on my face and Lissa gasps. “You’re turning beet red, like a tomato! What are you not telling me?”

“Yesterday was perfect,” I answer, still smiling wide, and then take a sip of my coffee.

She shakes her head. “You better elaborate!”

I giggle. “Well, you weren’t the only one knocking boots.” Another sip.

Lissa gasps. “You slept with Zander! Oh my God! How was it?”

My eyes widen. “Girl, it was fire!”

She chuckles. “No wonder you didn’t check in all day.”

I laugh. “Yeah, I was kinda busy.”

“I guess so!”

After a few moments, I decide I need to tell her about what happened when I got in. I really don’t want to, but I’m too much of a true crime fan to know how shit works. What if the picture means something? What if someone is watching me? It could very well be nothing and it’s just my paranoid brain getting the best of me, but I’d rather be safe than sorry and let someone else know about it in case something was about to happen.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lissa asks. “Your whole aura changed in the matter of seconds. One moment you were giddy and happy telling me about Zander, and now you look like you just saw a ghost. What’s up?”

I shrug. “It’s probably nothing—”

“What happened?” Lissa cuts me off. “Anytime anyone says it’s probably nothing, it’s usually something.”

I reach for my phone and go to the photo. As it opens up, I turn the phone in her direction so she can see. “Look.”

She picks up my phone and looks at the photo. “Is this that night you went to that carnival thing? Heat Feast?”

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