Page 18 of Christmas Crisis
It was hard to tell if the barely audible sentiment was for me or for herself.
I whooshed out a breath.
“You thought I’d say no?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Fifty-fifty likelihood you’d flee my apartment in horror.”
Her jaw ticked. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Bear.” She shifted to hug her knees.
The weight dissolved from my chest. “Glad that’s settled.” Standing, I stretched a hand to her. “I guess we should get to bed, then, since we need to wake up at five to go to the airport.”
She nodded, placing her palm in mine. “And Leo?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m glad it’s settled too. As in, I’m happy you asked me.” After rising and giving me an inscrutable look, she turned toward the hallway. “Night.”
“Night, Panda.”
The next day, I dropped her off for her flight. I felt her absence immediately, letting myself sit with the unfamiliar ache. A moment later, my phone buzzed.
MIRANDA:I admire you. That conversation was a risk. But you were right. Not having it would have been a bigger one.
MIRANDA:See you soon, pal.
It couldn’t be soon enough for me.
Chapter five
Miranda
NOW
Shoshanna and Lauren sent the story of my “relationship” with Leo to an independent entertainment journalist they trusted. By early afternoon, pictures of me and Leo, along with our names, basic information, and a rough timeline of our involvement, were in the public sphere.
I made my account accessible to Lauren so she could help keep track of comments, grateful I’d never expanded to other platforms. We hid some comments that came in on the first dayand turned off the ability to add new ones to older posts. It wasn’t a total scrub, but it made the trolls’ job harder.
Together, we crafted a statement that I posted alongside a carousel of ten pictures of Leo and me.
“You know me as @theadventurousmiranda, but my given name is Miranda Davis. I’m outing my identity because I feel the need to defend my friend, Stone Caseman. I met Stone by chance during a trip I took with some friends last fall. At the time, his videos were just starting to take off. I’m not interested in being a more well-known public figure (hence why this is the first time I’ve put my name on this page), so I asked him to make sure I didn’t appear in his videos or on his socials. While I value Stone’s friendship, the main man in my life is Leo Wymack. Leo and I met two years ago. Technically, we’re family since his brother is married to my sister, even though we live in different states. Our relationship has been mostly long-distance, like my friendship with Stone, but it is quite serious. I’m asking my followers, other commenters, and members of the media to please stop insinuating that I am anything other than Stone’s friend. I wish the best for him and Naomi. Thank you for reading, and I hope you will excuse me while I return to my life as a person with no desire to be in the public eye. *heart emoji*”
The good thing about the statement was that it was worded to be somewhat true. I had met Stone camping near Laguna Beach, and I had requested we keep our relationship private from the beginning. And since meeting, we’d spent significantly more time apart than together.
Leo looked over my shoulder as I posted it.
“Can I veto that picture of me in the car?” he complained. “I have, like, twelve chins.”
I tittered. “You’re not usually self-conscious.”
“I’m golden until eight chins.”
“Shoshanna thought it would be a good one to use because it’s so candid.”
He spread his arms wide. “Oh, well then. Pardon me. I suppose if the wise and all-knowing Shoshanna said it…”
“Stop being difficult.”
In the picture, Leo slept in the back seat of his truck. I remembered the day. During one of our long drives, we pulled over at a rest area. I’d reclined the front passenger seat and leaned back so the frame captured both of us. With my head practically in his lap, I held the camera above us, making a peace sign and duck face while Leo dozed in the background. I understood why the PR team thought it was a good choice to prove our closeness. It certainly looked intimate. But Leo made a fair point that he’d been sleeping in a funny position, and multiple chins could be counted.
