Page 24 of December Wishes
Who else would hold back Fleur’s hair when she had the flu? Who would replace cotton balls in her mouth when she had dental work? Who would massage her feet after a long day standing on sets in heels?
Jalen would do it. With a smile on her face.
“What?” Jalen put down her pizza. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Blushing, Fleur pretended that she was more interested in her phone than the conversation.
“Fleuuuurrr,” Jalen purred, the only woman on Earth who could make her girlfriend’s name sound like that. “You’re thinking about me, aren’t you?”
“No way!”
“You are. You totally are.” Jalen puffed out her chest and folded her arms onto the table. “To be fair, if I were you, I’d think a lot about me as well.”
“Bit self-centered, aren’t we?”
Jalen leveled her gaze upon the woman squirming in her plastic chair. “You would be too if you were going out with you.”
From anyone else, that would have been terrible. Coming from Jalen, though?She totally means it. Truly, the sweetest thing.Fleur couldn’t help but giggle into her next bite of pizza.
Chapter 14
SKYLAR
“Have you talked to Ari?”said a text from Mik. Skylar wasn’t expecting that when she sat down for her final lunch break of the work week. Skylar and Ariana? Talking without Mikaiya present? Anyone who spouted that was spouting fake news. The two of them had nothing in common besides Mik.
“No. Can’t say I’ve seen her. Why? Is she looking for me? Oh, did something happen between you two?”Things hadn’t been totally rosy for the pair of high school sweethearts since they reconciled earlier that year. More than a few arguments erupted, with Skylar’s favorite having to do with Mik’s brand-new neuroses she picked up after university and a high-pressure marketing job. How many times had Skylar heard,“Would you calm down, Mik? It ain’t a big thing! It’s a little cereal on the floor!”Only for Mik to respond,“It’s never just some cereal on the floor, Ari! Sometimes it’s milk, too!”
Never cry over spilt milk. Or something.
When Ari wasn’t insecure about Mik’s education or Mik wasn’t in disbelief over Ari’s lifestyle, the two of them were lovey-dovey enough. But at least once a month, Mik came home with a huff about her girlfriend. Then three days later she was spending the night at Ariana’s place again.I’d say it must be a lesbian thing, but I’m as guilty with guys.
Should she be annoyed that Mikaiya responded so quickly?
“She’s acting cagey about something. I think she got me a big ticket item for Christmas. You know Ari, she can’t keep a freakin’ secret. I also know she can’t afford big ticket items, so I was wondering if maybe she picked your brain about what I want for Christmas.”
“I think she knows you better than I do.”
“Come on, Sky, you know the adult me better than she does, still. Ten years ago I would’ve squealed like a pony to see a tennis bracelet or something. These days I’d rather she put it toward her rent.”
“…Like a pony?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Thank God I don’t.”
Skylar finished her dinner and contemplated the dirty table she would soon have to clean.You know, a famous actress was sitting in this chair a couple days ago…Skylar was used to seeing Fleur Rosé in her pizza parlor. For some reason, the Hollywood starlet had a taste for greasy pizza. Eh, maybe it was her favorite non-nutritionist-approved meal, and this was the only place she could eat it in peace. Skylar wouldn’t begrudge her that.
A little weird, though. Famous people were bizarre.
She was about to get up and finish her break in the bathroom, the most happening place at Paradise Pizza to get a little privacy, when the Devil herself walked through the door.
“Uh, hi.” Skylar was halfway out of her seat when Ariana made eye contact with her. “Are you looking for me?”
Ari stopped in her steps. “How’d you guess?”
“Because you’re coming right at me?”
“Right. Sorry. You’re on break, right?”
