I wanted to sprawl at the foot of her bed like I’d done so often these past few months, chat about the night before. It was an irregular tradition of ours, something we did whenever we had time. We’d lie together, Kasey under the blankets, me on top, our voices still thick with sleep, and we’d talk until we were both laughing so hard we couldn’t stop. It was our most beloved competition: who could make the other laugh harder.

