Elsie blanches, opal eyes wide as she twists in her seat to face me head-on.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
My arms cross.
“Try me.”
Her shoulders sag as she huffs, and the sweet look on her face melts as her eyes find the floor.
“Is it the Order?” I prompt when she doesn’t look up for a few minutes. “Are they bothering you again? Because if they are, you need to tell your mom. They can’t?—”
“No,” she sighs. “It’s not the order. I’m just…I’m…”
She pauses, head craning toward the ceiling as she tries to find the words.
“I’m seeing someone,” she finishes, eyes shut, face pinched as if this is the worst possible outcome.
“What? Since when?”
She cringes and shrugs before folding her legs under her butt and whispering, “Fright Night…”
“Oh, my gods! I knew it! You little liar!”
She winces, but there’s a smile on her face now, shy but genuine.
“Who is it?” I ask.
Her brows tip together, and her shoulders slowly lift up towards her ears as she squeaks out a name.
“Owen,” she says.
“Owen Owen? Big Owen?”
She nods.
“You’re joking,” I say.
“Why would I be joking?”
“Um, I don’t know. Maybe because you once told me you could never deal with his feet obsession long-term.”
“Oh.” She bites her lip. “I did say that, didn’t I? Well, it’s not that bad. You kinda get used to it.”
She shrugs, returning to her vanity, and my face screws up while she’s not looking.
“You really expect me to believe you’re dating Owen?” I ask.
“It’s not so unbelievable,” she sasses. “Definitely more believable than you being in love with Elliot Cross.”
Her head cocks, and my mouth drops open as she eyes me over her shoulder in the mirror, a small smirk playing on her plump lips.
“You know what,” she says. “Actually, this is perfect. Why don’t we all go out tomorrow? We can go to a tea house or something. That’d be fun.”
She’s smiling at me a little too hard, but I’m more than capable of faking it with Elliot for a few hours.
“Sounds great,” I say.
“Great!”
