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"Soh credit," she said instead

"What?" I sat up "I justlook, okay,a little punchy It’s late But I don’t want you to feel like you have to act a certain way, or impress anyone We’re impressed already You don’t have to act like you like my mum, or my sister, or where I live--"

"I like your flat"

"It’s the size of your lab at school--"

"I like your flat because you grew up here," she said, looking atyour dinner because it’s yours, which makes it better than mine And I like your sister because she’s smart, and she worships you, which means she is very smart You talk about her like she’s a child, I’ve noticed, but the fact that she’s atte to a lot of droopy-voiced boy sopranos isn’t so you should tease her for It’s certainly safer than the alternative"

The conversation had taken a turn I hadn’t expected Thoughfrom the moment the words "you’re pretty" slipped out of my mouth

She’d pushed herself up to face s, her hair rumpled, and she looked like she was in so I should be thinking I ran through a fas I could think of: Grand

"The alternative?" I repeated

"It’s rather better to dip in a toe before you get dragged underwater"

"We don’t need to talk about this--"

"I’ to say if you don’t want to How did we even get here?"

"You were trashing your upbringing I was defending it I like it here, Ja to my parents’ house next, and it won’t be like this I won’t be like this"

"Like what, exactly?"