Page 65 of Do You Ship It

But I don’t get much further, because then Jake suddenly cries, ‘Cerys! You’re here!’ and leaps out of the sofa with surprising agility considering he was rather hemmed in by all the people piled on with him, and I’m engulfed in a hug while Anissa and Max are left to make their own introductions. I’m relieved to hear them both speaking quietly behind me.

Jake wiggles me side to side, and I laugh, realizing he’s already tipsy. I can smell the cider on his breath, matching the almost-empty bottle in his hand. When he finally releases me, I notice he’s in his usual partywear of a blue shirt I once told him brings out his eyes, and his favourite brown chinos.

He looks good, too.

Just not quite as –

Nope. NOPE. We are not even entertaining that thought, Cerys, shut up.

Jake takes in my dress, and says, ‘That’s new. Does it fit? It looks a bit big by here.’ He gestures to his own chest, and even though it stings, even thoughof coursehe would notice, I was stupid to think he wouldn’t, I remember The Plan and swipe lightly, playfully at his arm.

‘Is this another display of the famous Wandsworth charm, Jake? You staring at my boobs within three seconds of seeing me?’

He laughs, holding his hands up, and pulling a ‘whoops’ sort of face. I suppose a bit like that misguided attempt with Daphne’s lipgloss, at least heisnoticing me, and that’s a step in the right direction.

‘You look very nice, Cerys,’ he says, sincerely, and the smile he gives me – the way he looks me right in the eyes, all soft and lovely and familiar – makes mefeel warm and fuzzy in a way no amount of gin-spiked lemonade ever could have.

‘Thank you.’ I let my eyes flick slowly up and down his outfit, too, and I let him notice. ‘You don’t look so bad yourself, Jake.’

‘Scrub up alright, don’t I?’ He winks, then slings his arm around me as he turns me to face Max and Anissa. ‘Alright, Anissa? Good to see you!’

‘Y-yeah, um, you too.’

‘Wish we’d known sooner you were so intoOf Wrath and Rune. You could’ve come to Comic Con with us! Next time, though, yeah? It’ll be sick.’

‘I’d love that! I was telling Cerys earlier, I’ve never really had anybody to share the fandom stuff with, and Comic Con seemed way too intense to go to on my own. I didn’t even realize they did them outside of London.’

Excitable, animated, the words spill out of her, and she misses the stunned double-take that Jake does that says,Really? Anissa, a chatterbox?

The look I give him in response says,Tell me about it!And I bump my hip to his to make sure he’s paying attention to her.

‘I looked into going to a Dungeons and Dragons night at one of the board-game cafes in town before,’ she’s saying now. ‘There’s a couple of podcasts I listento about it, likeThe Adventure ZoneandCritical Roleand stuff, and it seemssocool. I even made a whole character sheet! It said it was for new players, but I sort of chickened out …’

‘Shutup. No, dude, mate,yes, right.’ Jake is so swept up that he can hardly form a sentence, and I laugh – until he drops his arm from around me to grab Anissa. ‘I would totally go to that with you! I play with my brother and some of his mates, and it’s mostly over video chat and stuff now, but we haven’t done that inages. I play a bard, obviously, I’m a nat 20 charisma through and through, like I was ever going to play anything else …’

And just like that, they’re gone, falling on to a vacant chair, Anissa with her feet propped up on the seat and Jake with his legs straddling the arm, hands waving wildly as he speaks and Anissa’s own enthused gestures no less passionate, both talking a mile a minute.

I blink. What just happened?

Have I …

Have I just been usurpedagain, and given Jake his ideal fandom-loving girlfriend in Anissa, instead of showing him thatI’mthat girl?

This isn’t … That wasn’t …

She was supposed to bond withMax, not Jake!

A fingertip brushes lightly under my chin, pushingmy gaping mouth closed where my jaw has plummeted to the floor. I jump at the touch, mouth snapping shut, and turn to see Max smirking at me, eyes glittering.

‘Think he’s found a new best friend,’ he says.

‘Again.’

I don’t mind that it comes out sounding sharp or bitter, and Max just inclines his head, taking the dig annoyingly gracefully.

‘I take it you weren’t expecting that to happen.’

‘He knew her at school! They’ve barely ever said “hello”! I thought they’d get on alright, but …’

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