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She stops, staring out at the rolling hills, and I give it one last chance “Tellover to rin “Maybe there’s more than one”

Ouch “Okay, then, tell uy’ ”

Millie takes a deep breath, pulling her shoulders up to her ears “He’s pretty great You kno you just get a good vibe fro?”

I nod I know exactly what she h s,” she says carefully, and that part stabs a bolt of pain through me because, honestly, I’d be aged in that kind of conversation withto realize that the last ti very deep was at the beach, nearly two years ago, after she left Dustin, and told me in simple, bare terms how hard he was to live with But after a fewabout howthe waves crash on the surf

“Are you going to meet him?” I ask

“It’s weird because I feel like I know hi at me “What if I do? What if we know each other from somewhere? Would that be aard? I think so So, part of me is like, ‘Yeah! Let’s set up a date!’ and part of me is like, ‘Um, that’s the worst idea ever’ ”

“But you haven’t really met him,” I say “I mean, wouldn’t you know if you had? What’s his name?”

She waves a hand “JustGuy”

“His na wide “You’re going to go fro a Guy?”

“Maybe it’s not his real naal or Alfred, and Guy is just a nickna her cheek

She looks up atin obvious relief “You are”

Moet back, and Millie and I fall into our chairs at the table with a sort of desperate, haven’t-eaten-in-ten-years vigor Breakfast is a loud,its way up and down the table, a giant bowl of fat berries with creae platter of bacon slowly e, hands clutched over our too-full stomachs

Alex eyes the couch in the other roos and walk in here to pick hio there, Dad stands, shuffles to the couch, and falls onto it Rayainst Chris’s shoulder, and I watch it happen in slow motion—from the decision she see until she makes contact with hio very wide, and he goes very, very still

Ed, toeveryone’s plates before starting the dishes in the kitchen Mo like fondness in her eyes Apparently no one ended up naked in the vineyards last night, and Ed has figured out how to pleasehis pants on

I feel the soft pressure of a foot over mine, and look across the table at Millie, whose eyes are closed and whose head is tilted back, relaxing after ithout hyperbole, the best breakfast ever cooked It seems like an accident at first, but then she nestles her feet et warrin, and then feigns sleep again

An ache—desire—is tempered with a flush of irritation I don’t want to be the safe friend she can touch and flirt with if she’s only going to erect a new boundary every ti intimate happens No matter what she or I have said before, we’re in a weird liet the fuck out of here as soon as possible, or risk ruining what is without question one of the best friendships ofMom’s house rule, I pull my phone from my pocket, and open the IRL app at the table I’m a little disappointed to see that Cat hasn’t written backbut at least Daisy has

From: Daisy D

Sent: 10:29 a an aweso pretty dull—a friend as supposed to be in town flaked last eing old seasons of Big Brother

I’m not sure what you’re up to this week, but do you think you’d be willing to meet in person? For dinner? See! I remembered you don’t do first dates over coffee or drinks I sort of like that a lot about you

Let lance up at Millie, who is still resting with her eyes closed It’s tiet out of this weird friend-lover zone with Mills

Gently pulling hter, opening our text box She sits up, too, looking groggy as I type out a e to her

Sleepy?

When her phone vibrates in her back pocket, she leans to the side to pull it out I watch her read rin as she replies