Page 144 of Built to Fall
“Seriously, I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you. You could have the most boring hair in the world, and it wouldn’t matter because you have the face of a supermodel.”
Genetically, it is true.
Savannah doesn’t seem to take me seriously, but she’s much too nice to argue about it. She decides to change the subject instead, “You’re already friends with one supermodel.”
“You grew up with Kara.” I think for a moment before adding, “Your moms walked in hundreds of runway shows together. You guys are practically supermodel legacies.”
“Well, Kara is a supermodel because we grew up in two very different environments. And I know I’m pretty—I just don’t want it to be capitalized off of. I hate the idea of being known as'the model with crazy hair.'Her disregard of her own beauty makes me think I shouldn’t push the topic any longer.
Taking a sip of my drink, I grimace at the overwhelming taste ofcoffee.
“Too strong?”
I shake my head. “I just like the taste of creamer more than I do coffee.”
She takes a sip of her coffee, rolling her eyes in jest before turning serious again. “So did you and Grant talk?”
Savannah called Grant last night while I was over. All she did was quickly ask him for my phone number before hanging up and calling me.
I retreated into Grant’s adjoining bathroom, where I stayed on the phone with her for the next fifteen minutes. I told her about how he kissed me in Martha’s Vineyard and our hookup a few nights before. I gossiped about myowndrama, and she was perfectly content listening.
That’s when I knew she was serious about us becoming friends.
Setting my cup back down, I say, “Yeah, we did. It definitely wasn’t a conversation I was expecting, but it was good.”
“About his mom?” she asks, but it sounds like she’s already assuming.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make my stomach sink the tiniest bit. Not because of anything Grant told Savannah, but because of the fact that they were only ever hooking up.
I was under the impression that Grant had told me about his mom because it meant something different. But now it makes me wonder whether all Grant sees with me is the same thing he had with Savannah: a hookup.
Savannah must see it in my face because she immediately backtracks. “No, no, he never talked about it with me.”
“Never?”
“Never,” she confirms. “There were a few times when I tried to get him to, but he never did.”
All I can do is take another swig of my coffee, letting the bitterness burn down my throat. Desperate to change the subject, I glance around the cafe, my eyes locking on the pastry cabinet. “Have you ever had any of the pastries here?”
“No, but only because I refuse to eat foods that are described as something fancier than they are.” I think she’s kidding for a moment, but then she continues, “Like seriously, why are they calling it agooey chocolate-filled delightwhen it’s literally a chocolate chip cookie? It’s a form of extreme up-selling, and I refuse to partake in it.”
“You know, I was going to laugh at you, but I see your point,” I admit. “The overthought marketing is a real turn-off.”
Savannah grins, satisfied with the subtle victory. “Exactly. If you’re going to sell me something, just tell me what it is. Don’t try to trick me into thinking it’s some kind of life-altering experience.”
I nod, a smile tugging at my lips. “Right? Like,freshly baked, hand-crafted, melt-in-your-mouth luxury?Okay, we get it. It’s a cookie.”
“Exactly. And if you need to dress it up that much, maybe it’s not as good as you say it is. It’s like if a man went around calling his penis amagical pleasure wand.”
I can’t hold back my smile at that. “True. From now on, I vow to only buy baked goods that are advertised as-is.” I stickmy hand out, and she grabs it, shaking on it like it’s some legally binding agreement.
It only makes me like Savannah more, knowing she’s so willing to commit to a bit in the same way I am.
But I’ve also noticed that it’s impossible for her to let up on the things she really wants to know, which is why I’m not entirely shocked when she leans forward, swirling her straw through the ice in her drink. “So… back to you and Grant.”
“You’re relentless.”
“I’m just curious, and also very good at not letting people run from conversations,” she says, feigning innocence. “Do you have feelings for him?”
