Page 49 of Wanna Bet?

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Forty minutes later, Myah found herself standing outside Ellis's apartment with an overnight bag filled with different swimsuits slung over one shoulder and enough nervous energy to power an entire city. It was very important to her that she did not mess this up. It felt necessary for Ellis to like her. For reasons she would not be examining.

She barely managed to knock before the door opened. Ellis stood in the doorway wearing an oversized sweatshirt and a pair of plaid pajama pants, his dark curls slightly flattened on one side as though he'd been lying on the couch.

He was genuinely prettier than any boy had any right to be. Like a porcelain doll. Put him up on a shelf. Maybe dust him sometimes. Look at him. I don’t know. People who own doll collections are weird.

"Oh." His eyes widened. "Myah."

"Hi?” Myah cocked a brow. Did he forget?

Forgetful doll boy, I forgive you. You’re too perfectly symmetrical to be mad at.

For a second they simply stared at each other. Then Ellis stepped aside almost immediately.

"Sorry. Come in." His voice carried the same soft shyness it always seemed to around people he didn't know very well. It wasn't unfriendly, just… cautious, maybe?

Myah offered a small smile and slipped past him into the apartment. It was nice. Like really nice. There were vaulted ceilings and wood floors, stainless steele appliances and marble countertops. Is this an apartment? Myah thought to herself while craning her neck to see the apartment sign out the giant living room window.

This shit is so big. What the hell. Feels bigger than it did last night. Did the house-apartment grow?

The door clicked shut behind her. "Everything okay?"

The question had barely left his mouth before she blurted out—"Jace asked me to go to the lake and I don't know what to wear."

Ellis blinked. "Yes. You texted me that."

She spun toward him dramatically. "That's all you have to say?"

"No." The corner of his mouth twitched. "I just thought there was more to the story or something."

Myah groaned. "I have absolutely nothing to wear."

"You own clothes."

"Not lake clothes."

Ellis looked unconvinced. "You own swimsuits."

"Not the right swimsuits."

His expression remained unchanged. He blinked. He seemed to be enjoying this? Maybe. Myah wasn't sure if it was due to her going out with his best friend, or because she was having a meltdown over bikinis. Maybe he enjoyed seeing people stressed out and in crisis. Doll boy is a sadist. I guess no one can be perfect.

Myah pointed accusingly. "That face right there tells me that you don’t understand fashion."

"I understand fashion."

"You wear gray."

"I wear other colors."

"You wear darker gray."

Ellis laughed softly, the sound surprised her. Something about it immediately eased the tension she'd been carrying all day. It was like the tinkling of a bell, balm to her soul. She was good at entertaining people, putting on a bit of a performance to make them like her. She liked when people liked her.

"How many swimsuits do you own?" he asked.

Myah crossed her arms. "Enough for it to be ridiculous that I’m struggling."