Theo| It’s the world’s most expensive spice after saffron and the flavor complexities depend on the provenance, just like coffee beans or cacao.
Audrey| Uh-huh
Audrey| Sure, Theo
Audrey| Exactly what a boring vanilla person would say
Theo| BORING??
Audrey| Yeah
Audrey| Chocolate people are more fun
Theo| Audrey, have you ever had REAL vanilla ice cream before?
Theo| Not made with that artificial vanillin shit, I’m talking the real thing straight from the goddamn orchid.
Audrey| I don’t know that I have, honestly
Audrey| Still counts as plain, though
Audrey| It’s basic
Theo| IT IS NOT BASIC
Theo| THEY CURE THE FUCKING PODS FOR MONTHS, WHICH COME FROM A FLOWER
Theo| AND THAT FLOWER ONLY BLOOMS FOR 24 HOURS BEFORE IT HAS TO BE HAND-POLLINATED WITH A WOODEN NEEDLE
Theo| THE ENTIRE PROCESS SCREAMS COMPLEX
Theo| BASIC???
Theo| ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Audrey laughed so hard, she could barely breathe.
Wednesday night rolled around. She and Violet were loungingaround, and she was listening to her roommate rant about her workday while just beginning to wonder what can of soup she should heat up for dinner.
“Can you believe that, Auds? That Hackett would actually say something like that during aclient presentation?” There was athunkthat reverberated through the apartment’s walls from Violet’s top bunk. “What a dickwad, throwing me under the bus like that, questioning my sales projections!”
Anotherthunk.
She must have slapped the wall again.
“Yeah, yeah,” Audrey hummed in response. “I definitely know what that means.”
“It means he embarrassed me in front of a potential client!And my manager!” A pillow flew out from between the curtains and skidded across their floor. “I hate that stupid, tall ginger with his stupidfrecklesand his stupidaccentand—”
A text pinged through on Audrey’s phone from Theo.
Theo| I ordered you food.
Theo| Should be there in a minute.
Theo| Hope you like it, and good luck studying.
Theo| Don’t stay up too late.
