"How about ice."
I nod and go to my freezer, pulling out the circular ice tray and popping one into each glass.
Once I've poured the bourbon, I push one across to her and take the other.
"Thank you." Cora raises her glass. "What should we cheers to?"
"To staying alive."
She smiles and clinks my glass. "To staying alive."
We both sip our drinks, and I return the bottle of bourbon to its place in the cabinet.
"How come you don't have a television?" Cora asks me as she glances around my apartment.
I shrug. "Never really wanted one, I guess."
"So you're telling me you've never watchedGame of Thrones, or I don't know,Breaking Bad?"
"Breaking what?" I drink some more of my bourbon.
"Wow. Really? You're not fucking with me?"
I shake my head. "I assure you, I am not fucking with you."
Cora hops off her chair and keeps her glass in her hand. "What do you do with your spare time then?" She walks slowly into my living room, glancing back at me for an answer.
"I read. I exercise. I learn. I don't know, what doyoudo in your spare time?"
She chuckles stiffly. "Other than having constant existential crises? I'd like to think I use my time wisely, but if I'm being honest, I doom scroll entirely too much and probably consume excessive amounts of television."
"You doom what?"
"Doom scroll. You know, like on Instagram or TikTok or whatever. You've never wasted four hours of your day accidentally scrolling thefor youpage?"
"The more questions I ask, the more I have." I follow her over but maintain a couple feet between us. "But no, I don't do that. I don't have those things. Are those social media apps or?"
Cora turns to me and narrows her gaze. "You're seriously telling me you don't haveanysocial media?"
I rock my head back and forth. "Nope."
"Wow. I bet that's kind of wonderful." She returns her attention to my bookshelf. "Have you read all of these?" Cora floats her finger along the edges, flitting her gaze at me here and there.
"Most of them, yes. Some of them more than once. A few of them are new." I point to the three sort of haphazardly set on the shelf. "Do you read?"
Cora sighs. "Not enough."
"Feel free to borrow any of them if you'd like. There's quite a variety." I step a little closer. "Sci-fi, thriller, romance, mystery...I even have some non-fiction over here."
Cora snatches a book off the shelf and turns toward me. "You've read this?"
"Yes..."
"No way. I don't believe you." She flips through the pages and holds it between us. "What's it about?"
"Um, it's about a girl who's hiding out in a small town, and her three neighbors sort of take her under their wing and end up falling in love with her." I tilt my head. "Haveyouread it?"
She gently smacks me in the chest with the book before putting it back on the shelf. "Yes, I have. A few weeks ago, actually. I just never imagined you as the target audience for reverse harem novels."
