Page 86 of Friends Don't

It’s been comfortable. Nice.

Too nice.

I’m trying not to think too hard about how much I’m going to miss how nice it’s been.

How much I’m going to miss the person who makes me feel most like me.

We make a quick run to the home improvement store for the two gallons of paint we need to coat the entire kitchen and living room of her half of the duplex. When we get back, the reinforcements have arrived.

Lou, Patrick, Mia, Rose, and Collin are all waiting with paint brushes in hand, and we set to work.

I’m using the roller in the living room, and Poppy is cutting the edges along the trim. We keep running into each other, and I know I should start working on an opposite wall—the duplex is small but notthatsmall—but I like being close to her, so I’m milking this.

I roll paint above her head and step behind her, passing her position on the wall. I gently nudge her with my knee, and she tips forward, her hand landing in wet paint.

“Big, watch it!”

“What’s that? Who’s there? I can’t see anything.” I look around obnoxiously until I settle my gaze on her. “Could it be…a ghost?”

She stands up, walking to the kitchen. “Seriously? Can you quit it with the Kasper-related jokes?”

“Abso-boo-tly not.”

She groans.

“Don’t pretend you don’t think I’m fa-boo-lously witty.”

“I think I need some literal booze to handle you” she shouts from the sink.

“By all means, as long as the alcohol will make you shake yourboo-ty.”

“Pretty sure nobody wants to see that,” she calls back.

“Doubtful. I’m guessing under your straight-laced skirts and collared shirts, you’re the ghost-ess with the most-ess.”

I hear her giggle, and then she reappears.

While she was washing her hands, I managed to drape the drop cloth over my head like a goon.

“What are you doing?” she says.

“Don’t you mean, what are youboo-ing?”

“Oh my gosh. Can we be done?”

I pull the cloth over my head. “Boo-hoo.” At her look, I hold up my hands. “Alright, fine. That was the last one, I promise.”

“You guys are cute.”

I spin around to see Rose in the entry to the hallway, smirking. Mia is nodding from behind her. They were painting the bedrooms. I have no idea how much of that little ghost show they saw.

Poppy claps her hand. “What’s cute is this new paint color. Right?”

Her voice is an octave higher than usual, like she’s slightly embarrassed that she was caught flirting with me.

Is what we were doing flirting? It wasn’t laced with the romantic tension of her visit to me on the job, but I liked it just as much. I like being goofy with Poppy.

Like I said, she brings out the best in me.

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