I have no idea where she’s going with this, but I follow her lead, walking when she starts up again. With each step, the tension grows louder, the silence stretching thin. This goes on for what feels like an eternity before she blurts out, “I’ve been such a bitch to you.”
I wave my hand dismissively. “You weren’t being a bitch.”
Vivienne snorts in disbelief. “I blamed you countlessly for the things you’d done to me, while you never uttered a word in my direction. Your world has been turned upside down—arguably more than mine—and I’ve been too inconsiderate to think that a possibility.”
My brows furrow at the nonsense she’s spewing. “Your behavior was warranted. I’d be angry too if someone ruined my things and ran away.”
She freezes mid-step, looking up at me in bewilderment. “How can you be so positive for someone whose company is crashing down?”
“Crashing down is a bit of an exaggeration.” I laugh it off nervously.
But honestly, she’s not too far off from the truth.
“How about we put this all behind us?” Vivienne suggests, glancing up at me, eyes filled with pity. “It’s clear that we both need each other. And if we work togetherwell, maybe we’ll be able to help each other out of our messes.”
I nod in agreement as Vivienne stretches out a dainty hand with equally delicate fingers. “Do we have ourselves a deal?”
I place my hand in hers, trying my best to ignore the heat of her skin on mine, and the tingles that spread up my arm as I shake it firmly. “Consider it done.”
A faint smile blooms on her face. “Great, now let’s get to know each other. Where do we start?”
“Melanie actually sent me a list of questions we have to go over.” I open the attachment, still shell-shocked at how extensive it is. “Get ready for a long night because we’ve got over five hundred questions classified from easy to hard. She said if we don’t know these by heart, she’ll break into our apartments and do the unthinkable.”
Vivienne’s eyes bulge out of their sockets as she leans over my arm, zeroing in on theone of twentyicon that indicate the extent of this document.
“There’s no way she expects us to know all these things about each other.”
“Unfortunately, she does,” I admit, knowing my crazy cousin.
“That’s ridiculous!” She takes a step back in exasperation. “Honestly, I think we know enough about each other to pass this off as a real engagement.”
I raise a brow in her direction. Vivienne sure is confident for someone who made up with their mortal enemy mere seconds ago.
“Fine. You’re right.” She rolls her eyes. “Let’s get on with it.”
“What is your favorite color?” I read the first question on the sheet.
Vivienne groans. “Not this shit again! I thought I put my awkward dating days behind me.”
“Just answer the question, woman.”
Vivienne lets out a long breath, pondering her answer for a minute longer than reasonable.
“I don’t think I have a favorite color.”
“Okay, let me note this down really quickly.” I open a new Notes page. “Is a psychopath.” I pull back, looking deeply satisfied with the words written on the screen.
A stunned silence stretches between us.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious. Last person I knew without a favorite color went on a killing rampage.”
The shock seems to consume her. “Actually?”
I chuckle. This girl is too damn gullible.
“Okay, be like that.” Vivienne huffs out. “What’syourfavorite color, Mr.Nota Psychopath Archer?”
