Page 44 of The Little Shop of Curiosities Cursed Object 1, The Music Box

“Just kidding.” She laughs. “Come in.”

I trail after her, staring at the swaying tail feathers in confusion as she heads into the flat.

“Red here says he knows you,” she says as we enter the kitchen.

“It’s Harrison, not Red,” I say stiffly, my cheeks feeling flushed. “Do you usually answer the door dressed like that?”

“No,” she says innocently, then smirks, and there’s something about that smile that reminds me of Dusty. “Usually, I’m dressed as a French maid unless Tristan and Danny want me to clean naked. Then I’m totally in the buff.”

“Chan,” Tristan admonishes, and I turn to face him, taking in his pale face, the dark shadows under his eyes, and his reddened nose. Wow, he really doesn’t look very well. “Harrison, this is Chan,” Tristan introduces us. “Chan is a friend. She performs at a drag club in Shoreditch and came straight from a rehearsal to check on me and Danny.”

“Harrison.” Chan’s eyes narrow. “Aren’t you the one who—” She breaks off mid-sentence when Tristan’s eyes widen in warning and he shakes his head.

“Uh…never mind,” Chan concludes, and shoots a smile at me. “Coffee?”

“No, thank you,” I reply, feeling all kinds of awkward.

Tristan is smiling a little too brightly at me as his boyfriend Danny stares at him in curiosity, and I’m going to hazard a guess that Tristan still hasn’t told him about the whole body-sharing incident with his dead friend.

“So, Harrison, what brings you by?” Tristan asks.

I, uh.

Oh god, my mind has gone blank. Stupid nonexistent social skills. I’m trying to think of a reason to be here that’s not because your dead drag queen bestie told me to or because I want to ask you about my mother that I’ve never actually met. “I wanted to apologise for the other night, for my strange behaviour. I–” My gaze falls on Danny’s leg, and I remember I’m not supposed to know about that either. “What happened?”

“Car accident,” Danny replies easily as Chan sets a mug of coffee on the table in front of him. “The storm brought a tree down on the car I was travelling in.”

I go quiet, not sure what to say.

“What’s wrong?” Tristan asks. I open my mouth to say what, I have no idea, but rather fortuitously, the doorbell rings and draws his attention.

“Bloody hell. Really?” Chan rolls her eyes as she sets a cup of tea in front of Tristan. “I’ll get it.”

She disappears and reappears moments later, this time with Sam trailing after her. My mouth falls open, and when I see him checking out Chan’s legs, my jaw clenches so hard I’m surprised I don’t hear my teeth cracking.

Not so fortuitous then.

Sam whistles low. “If this is the greeting I get, I should stop by more often.”

Danny chuckles. “To what do we owe the pleasure, Sam?”

“Maddie told me you lost an argument with a tree.” He grins and pulls a Sharpie from his pocket. “Figured I’d see for myself and return the favour, given the heartfelt sentiments you left scrawled all over my cast when I was in hospital.”

“I was trying to cheer you up,” Danny says in his defence.

“And like I said, I’m here to return that favour.” Sam grins even wider and wiggles the pen in his fingers.

“So childish,” I mutter under my breath.

Sam turns his attention to me. “Harrison. What a pleasant surprise.” He lifts one brow pointedly. “I believe you were supposed to call one of us after dinner the other night so we knew you were all right.”

“I…was busy,” I mumble, looking away, unable to meet his eyes when I think about how I’d used the thought of him to get myself off. Dammit, I can feel my cheeks burning again.

“Wow, that’s an interesting shade of lobster,” Chan murmurs around a sip of her coffee. She watches me and Sam over the rim of her mug like we’re the most fascinating thing she’s seen all day.

I glare at her for the lobster comment. At least Dusty named me after desserts.

“I stopped by to check on you,” Sam says, and I really can’t meet his gaze.