“Oh.” Teri looked younger today, the dark makeup absent from under her eyes. “That’s cool. You want to come in? You can see the kitten. I’ve got him for a little while longer yet.”

“I’d love to.” She really would. Part of her was relieved at how easily Teri had let her in. She had been worried she’d be turned away without a word. “How is the kitty?”

“He’s great,” Teri said with a grin. “I love him.”

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Aria had been concerned that the novelty would wear off quickly; now she was concerned that Teri might get too attached to the kitten. This was only temporary, after all.

Teri led her into one of the bedrooms. It had unadorned, whitewashed walls, and the open cupboards were free of clutter except for a makeup bag on the bedside table. Someone had vacuumed the floor recently, and the dirty washing sat tidily in a basket in the corner. It was bizarre. When Aria was a teenage girl, boy band posters had plastered the walls of her bedroom, and stacks of books and knick-knacks had rendered her cupboards invisible. Even though this was only Teri’s home for a short while, the lack of color in the room saddened Aria. Teri might be rich, but she’d clearly missed out on the chaos of normal childhood.

“Here he is.” Teri grabbed a purring ball of fur from the bed and held him out.

Taking him in one hand so she could pat him with the other, Aria said, “What a cutie.”

“Totally.”

They both fell silent for a moment.

“So, um,” Teri began awkwardly. “About you and Eli...”

Aria closed her eyes, shoving the memory of their passionate embrace on the beach, and what had followed, to the back of her mind. “Nothing is going on between us,” she said. “We got carried away, that’s all.”

“Looked like a bit more than that,” Teri muttered. She stared at her feet, her forehead creased. “I like you,” she said eventually. “But Eli’s girlfriends are usually bitches. I don’t want you to be like that.”

It broke Aria’s heart how serious she was, and how much thought she must have put into this.

“I promise not to be a bitch,” Aria said. “And I’ll be your friend for as long as you want me to.” It shouldn’t be a difficult promise to keep. Teri was special, and before long, she’d be living in the North Island, having completely forgotten about the nobody reporter from Itirangi. “Now, tell me about the cute boy from the beach,” Aria ordered. Teri giggled, and the sound of her laughter lifted Aria’s mood. “Tell me all about it.”