Page 59 of Nine-Tenths

"This is crazy," Hadi says, leaning on the counter, intrigued.

"Crazy, but plausible. I've had two cups every day since you changed the formula," the young woman says. "And I've been keeping a blog about it. This morning, I had peanut butter for the first time in my life, and look at me!" She turns in a circle again, braids spinning out.

Dav has frozen just this side of the kitchen door. His face is shuttered, his mouth pinched. Something in my gut lurches. Shit. I think we're in trouble.

"Coffee can't cure allergies." I want it to come out casual and self-assured. Instead it sounds like I'm choking on my own teeth. "Trust me, if they did, I'd already be eating chocolate."

"But you are," Hadi cuts in, straightening. "You had that latte."

"That's not—"

"You see!" the young woman says, pointing to me with a finger like a sword—sharp and dangerous. "There's other research, too. I shared it with my journal group—" Dav makes a sound like a kitten that's been stomped on, slumping back against the wall. He's gone so pale, his freckles stand out like gold shavings. "—and everyone's dying to know what you've done differently. Can I have a sample of the beans, before and after roasting?"

"No!" Dav shouts, and then slaps his hands over his mouth, mortified at his ill manners. "I, no," he repeats, at a more civilized volume. "You can't."

"What's your name, hon?" Hadi asks the young woman.

"Pedra," she says, taken aback.

"Pedra," Hadi says. "Min-soo is going to get you a cup of whatever you want. Have a seat and I'll come talk this over with you in a bit."

"Sure," Pedra says, cutting her gaze between Hadi and Dav, finally cluing in that the staff of Beanevolence are not as thrilled with her discovery as she is.

"You two," Hadi snarls, turning to us. "Kitchen. Now."

Dav and I march to her orders like two naughty little boys.

Which, you know, we kind of are.

She stomps right over to the fridge and pulls out the box of chocolates that Dav had given me a few nights ago. One of the truffles is gone, but the other one is still nestled in the purple paper grass.

"Eat it," she says, shoving the box under my nose.

"What?" I ask, hands up,don't shoot."No, I—"

"I will shove it down your throat myself if you don't."

"Now wait a moment, here," Dav cuts in but Hadi puts a hand on his chest, halting him on the spot as he recoils from her unexpected touch.

"Eat. The. Chocolate," Hadi snarls.

I don't have to. That's the thing, we all know it. Hadi won't actually hold me down and force it. But I'm curious, and if it does make me sick then all the weird stuff online will pipe down.

I pop it in my mouth.

Ugh.

It's everything I can do not to spit it back out. It tastes like hours of stomach aches, things exiting my throat in the wrong direction, and blinding headaches.

Also, a bit of raspberry.

"Colin!" Dav yelps. "You stupid man, what are you—"

I swallow. Dav frets and fetches a glass of water for me. Hadi throws away the packaging. I lean against the fridge, wrap my arms around my stomach, squeeze my eyes shut, and wait. Andwait. And wait. After about five minutes, Dav puts his hand on my shoulder, thumb sweeping over my jugular sweetly.

"Colin?"

"I… I'm fine," I admit slowly. I relax from my anticipatory clench. "I've actually never felt better. Never mind the chocolate, I haven't had a middle-of-the-night anxiety attack in…" I check the tracking app Dr. Chen recommended. "Uh," is the only noise I can make when I figure out the day.

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