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Isabella wasn’t an idiot, but I had specific instructions for taking care of my pet goldfish, and she tended to get lost in her own world when she was in the middle of writing a book.
“Third of all, you’re not stressed because you don’t do anything. You just sit there, spend your family’s money, and look pretty.”
but a trust fund kid lecturing me was my last straw.
“So you like to be needed.”
Shut up?
“Don’t you get bored of doing nothing?”
“But I’m good at doing nothing, so I stick to it. It’s better than fucking things up.”
“Since they’re your friends, that sounds like a you problem.”
I’m calling the police and having them arrested for trespassing.” “Don’t think that’ll fly. One of them is the president’s niece.” Xavier paused. “President of Spain,” he clarified. “Then the president can come here and bail her out.”
PLS
“Shit, I’m sorry, Luna. I honestly forgot that…”
Love men who apologize
“Isn’t she vegan?” “She’s there to save the goats.”
Aaah the goats yes
“How tragic.”
Me:
the bonfire. “You have to dance,” he insisted. “It’s one of the island’s rules.” I didn’t budge. “Rules are meant to be broken.” “I didn’t expect a cliché from you, of all people.”
I doubted anything he said was that funny.
It’s not
“You always underestimate me.” “And you always provoke me.”
“I like it when you get mad. Proves you’re not an ice queen after all.”
I will chuck A sloth at you
If you weren’t such an ice queen all the time, maybe I wouldn’t have gone looking elsewhere.
You can swallow a dick
For God’s sake, Sloane, smile. Why can’t you look happy for once?
Cuz I’m a bitch. Die
No wonder people called me an ice queen. I couldn’t even show emotion properly.
Oh well. They wanna see emotions. It’s a them problem
I stayed there until the lump in my throat dissolved, and as droplets of water cascaded down my face, I pretended they were tears.
Nevertheless, Luca glanced around like the intimidating older Russo was going to pop out from behind a potted plant.
“Go for the Daugherty twins. They’re looking for a good time.” “Can’t. Their family is in textiles, which reminds me of goats, which reminds of Leaf.”
Romantic comedy was the most unrealistic genre in Hollywood. Falling off a seventh-floor balcony and getting up a minute later to chase after the bad guy was more believable than workplace rivals who suddenly “discover” they have feelings for each other and live happily ever after.
The concept of happily ever after was the biggest scam since the advent of the overpriced college textbook industry.
“Happy? Now you won’t be distracted by my incredible physique.” “No, I’ll just suffocate beneath the weight of your inflated ego.”
I would’ve laughed at the idea that I was upset over my dancing skills if I hadn’t been so thrown off by his apology. So few people apologized and meant it that a simple I’m sorry stripped away my knee-jerk defensiveness.
“Wait, are we having a bonding moment? Is this the start of a new Xavier and Sloane era?” “Don’t push it.”
This was not normal.
Xavier should only smell like day-old pizza and beer. It would be a more accurate representation of his lifestyle than this clean, woodsy thing he had going on.
Note to self: Buy more sunscreen ASAP.
My drawer of handwritten movie reviews at home attested to that.
As a client, he was difficult, but as a person, he was decent.
I’d never heard him raise his voice once in our time working together. When he found out about his father’s cancer diagnosis, he hadn’t cried, and when an ex leaked lurid photos of them to the press, he hadn’t sought vengeance
Ugh. The only thing sadder than watching a rom-com alone on vacation was psychoanalyzing Xavier while watching said rom-com.
“What do you keep writing in your notebook?”
“I write reviews of all the rom-coms I watch.” It was nothing to be ashamed of.
“The film strives for charm but falls flat in its attempt,” he read aloud.
I have more chemistry with my bedroom lamp than the lead actors have with each other,
“What the hell have you been doing with your bedroom lamp?” Laughter rustled my throat, so quick and unexpected it took me a second to realize the sound came from me. Shock flashed across Xavier’s face, followed by a slow bloom of pleasure. An answering warmth pooled in my stomach. “Turning it on,” I said in response to his question. I cringed before the words fully left my mouth. “Oh God. That was terrible.” His howl of laughter drowned out my next words. “Do not ever tell anyone I said that. I—stop laughing.”
“You know rom-coms aren’t supposed to be realistic.” Xavier wasn’t over my review. “They’re supposed to be entertaining.” “They would be more entertaining if they were realistic.”
“Your optimism is nauseating.”
it’s time for us to part ways and go to sleep.” Xavier stared at me like I’d asked him to fly to the moon. “Are you joking? It’s only nine.”
I take back what I said about the malfunctioning robot,” Xavier said. “I don’t want to insult robots.” I dropped my arms and glared at him. “If I had a better teacher, I’d be doing better.”
“Dancing is about movement. You can’t move properly if you’re imitating a petrified piece of wood.” “I’m loosened up.”
might I remind you I could be sleeping right now instead of enduring your insults?”
now move your hips like this. No, the other way.”
“Move them in a circle, Luna, not a square.” “It is a circle.” “No offense, but you might need to brush up on your geometry.” Xavier’s grip tightened, stilling my movements. “What are you thinking about?” “Moving my hips in a circle.” “That’s your problem,” he said. “You shouldn’t be thinking about that.” “You just said—” “You have to feel the movement. The more you think, the less natural it looks.”
“I’m sorry, but I like thinking. It’s something I try to do on a daily basis.” “That explains a lot.”
“You don’t know how I taste.” His smile took on a decidedly more wicked slant. “Not yet.”
“How’s delusion treating you?” I asked, striving for indifference even as I strangled my glass. “Quite well.”
People could call me a bitch or an ice queen, but there was one unshakeable, undeniable truth—I was the best at what I did.
Slay
