TheWriteGuy
Or maybe just thinking you like me more than you let on.
ReadToLiv
Dream on, WriteGuy.
TheWriteGuy
I do. All the time.
ReadToLiv
Oh, no. Don’t tell me this is a Raelle-and-Cassemir level fantasy.
TheWriteGuy
Guilty. I’m the brooding warrior prince and you’re the smart-mouthed heroine who pretends not to like me.
ReadToLiv
Pretends? Bold assumption #2 of the night.
TheWriteGuy
Again—accurate.
ReadToLiv
You know Cassemir only started to get Raelle because she let her guard down, right? If she’d held out longer, he’d still be mooning over her from a distance.
TheWriteGuy
So what you’re saying is … there’s hope for me.
ReadToLiv
I’m saying you’re a ridiculous flirt.
TheWriteGuy
A ridiculous flirt who enjoys talking with a woman who lets another side of him come out too.
ReadToLiv
You almost sound genuine …
TheWriteGuy
Maybe I am.
I stared at the screen longer than I meant to, a smile tugging at my mouth. It was easy with her. Easier than I wanted to admit. With Livvi, I’d felt that spark—instant, sharp, electric—but it came with edges, with the need to posture, to play my usual game, to hide whatever flicker of something else I felt. WithReadToLiv, I could drop all that and just be … me. Not perfect, not flashy—just me.
ReadToLiv
Okay, so now I’m curious. You’re all heartfelt and sincere … does this mean we’re back to the Cassemir-and-Raelle comparison?
TheWriteGuy