It’d been the first time they’d properly spent time together without Valerie’s imposing presence over them. To her surprise, they hadn’t devolved into their usual bickering. They’d snarked about professors, kept the conversation light, but something between them eased that night. She’d still found him a bit of an asshole. But he’d been an interesting asshole. Naomi “walked” along the beach for a few minutes. The rock bridge was topped with the dark dots of birds, and the blue of the sky turned haze-orange at the horizon. The sound of waves and bird cries was convincing, but the white foam of
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