21. Samantha?
Myles cleared his throat and approached the girl. “Look, Samantha, I–”
“My name’s not Samantha,” she cut in with a scowl on her face.
“Right, of course.” He scratched his stubble. “I don’t exactly care about that, to be honest. I just wanted to put a name on you so that I didn’t have to call you “girl” again and again.”
She continued to scowl at him.
I pressed my lips together as I ping-ponged my gaze between her and Myles.
“Let me put forward a simple deal,” Myles began. “I promise to pay you the full price of this boxset,ifyou decide to give it up by handing it over to me.”
Supposed-Samantha turned to face him fully. “Are you out of your mind?!” she asked, and then held a hand up. “Wait, don’t answer that. Of course you’re crazy, because no sane person would propose such a stupid fucking deal.”
“Language,” Myles said.
“I’m eighteen.”
“Are you?”
She hesitated for a second, and then shrugged. “None of your business. You’re not getting the boxset from me anyway.”
Myles raised a brow. “Oh, but I think I will.”
SS (Supposed-Samantha) gave him a seething once-over. “Over my dead fucking body.”
JesusChrist.
She was dedicated, I’ll give her that.
The thing is: the boxset she was holding was an exclusiveB&Nedition of Rainbow Rowell’sCarryOnseries. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to explain the rarity of this set to anyone, because if someone was willing to go all in for something like this, then it had to be important.
And itwas, because try as I might, I hadn’t been able to get my hands on this boxset.Amazon,BookDepository, theB&Nonline store, you name it, and I’d looked them up hundreds of times, only to be disheartened when I didn’t find the set. Rainbowherselfdidn’t have it up for sale on her official website, so yeah, there wasthat.
I loved her and her books, and I wanted that boxset in my possession.
No, Ineededit in my damn life.
Myles narrowed his eyes at SS. “You shouldn’t have said that, because now, Samantha, it’s openwar.”
Oh God.
Oh dear.
Oh no.
Should I cover my eyes? My ears? I was so confused. And scared. And intrigued.
Myles grabbed the top corner of the boxset and pulled. “Give it to me…”
SS gasped and pulled the thing back towards her. “No. Way. In. Hell.”
Myles scowled and pulled again. “Give it up, youbrat!”
I placed a hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter.
A few people looked over at Myles and SS in complete shock, and then at me – giggling like an idiot next to the two of them –before walking away with either confused shakes of their heads, or while murmuring about how the three of us were probably limp in the brain.
