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“This is so humiliating.”

Aurora meows from the hallway.

“I’m coming.”

Once she’s fed, I’ve washed the remnants of last night’s makeup off my face, and found a sweatshirt that doesn’t make my skin overheat, my phone buzzes on the kitchen counter.

Flora

I did. :)

That’s all.

I look at the smiley face longer than any reasonable person should, and my silly little reverie is interrupted by the sound of a cabinet closing, and the beep of the electric kettle quickly following.

Rose is standing behind me in the kitchen in pajama pants and one of my old college sweatshirts, pouring water into the mug she has decided belongs to her for the duration of her stay. Her hair is piled on top of her head, and there is an open container of yogurt beside her on the counter.

She glances at me.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

Something about the way she sounds, the tone she’s using, makes me immediately suspicious. It’s way too normal.

“Why did you say it like that?”

Rose pauses with the kettle halfway back to its base. “Like what?”

I squint at her, and the corner of her mouth quirks up, just a little bit, and I absolutely know she’s about to fuck with me. “Rose.”

“I said good morning.”

“Yes, suspiciously.”

She looks at me for another second, then puts her mug down on the counter. “You’re going to have to give me more to work with here.”

I narrow my eyes as I cross the kitchen, phone in hand like a paranoid lovesick fool.

“Who spilled?”

She turns back to her yogurt and starts humming, completely unperturbed.

“Was it Dani?” Rose looks up to me, and her forehead creases. “Or Veronica? Actually, Veronica is more likely to tell you something without making it obvious that she’s telling you something, so I’m going with Veronica.”

“Merryweather, I have no idea what you are talking about.”

I study her face. Rose has never been particularly good at lying to me, mostly because she starts smiling when she thinks she’s getting away with something. There is no smile now. Just increasing confusion and, underneath it, the beginning of curiosity.

Which means⁠—

I turn to the coffee machine and suddenly hear a squeal of what can only be described as joy come from deep inside my sister’s chest cavity, and immediately feel myself flush, head to toe.

She clears her throat.

“Merryweather,” she says, very calmly despite the outburst of whatever that was just a few seconds ago. “Did you kiss the coffee girl?”

I turn around so fast, I nearly slosh my coffee onto my hand.

And it starts slowly, the wolfish smile. Pulling at one corner of her mouth before spreading across her entire face, and I realize with a sinking feeling that she hadn't known a single thing. I have walked into my own kitchen and voluntarily provided my sister with information she didn’t have because, again, I’m a fool.