Instead, he simply says, “You’re not wrong.”

Holy shit! Did Reid just say I’m right? I pull out my phone because I need to get a statement like this on the record, to have in my back pocket for the inevitable creative arguments future us are bound to have when the magic of The Lion King fades and we stop pretending we’re capable of getting along.

I open my camera and press record. “So I’m right.”

Reid covers the camera with his hand. “Is this necessary?”

I pull my phone back and refocus on his profile. “It is.”

Reid rolls his eyes and bites down on his lip like he’s trying not to laugh. “Yes, Natalie.”

“Yes, Natalie what?” I prompt.

“You’re not wrong,” Reid repeats, crumpling his hot chocolate cup and throwing it in the trash. I stop the recording and slide my phone into my purse, already looking forward to a future where I can pull this clip out again.

“I just want a second act—”

“—that’s better than the first.”

My eyes meet his. “Exactly.”

I swallow my last lukewarm sip of hot chocolate to keep my face from reacting. Because Reid finished my sentence. But I don’t think he’s talking about Melted anymore.

And I don’t know what to do with that.

Thankfully, that’s when we arrive at the station. We have ten minutes to spare, but the train is already waiting for us, since Boston is its origin. I slide into a seat, pull my hair back into a messy bun, and Reid slides in next to me. He posts the picture he made me take of him outside the theater, pointing at the marquee with the silliest openmouthed smile on his face, on Instagram. His toes are tapping, which means he’s listening to the—ahem—OBC album, something that is for sure allowed after a live theater experience, when you can’t, and don’t want to, get the music out of your head.

I definitely don’t.

But I resist the urge to play it too and I open the notes app on my phone, inspired to start brainstorming Adina’s monologue and reframe it as a quiet moment for our second act—but then my phone vibrates in my hand.

Henry Chao

Hi. I came over after my shift to talk, but Delia said you’re at The Lion King with Reid??

5:45 PM

Wow. Are you friends now?? Am *I* being pranked?

5:46 PM

This is… not an apology.

In fact, it feels like an accusation.

“My friends are confused too,” Reid says, his voice pulling me out of my phone spiral. I lock my screen and toss my phone in my purse. “Sorry! I saw my name and couldn’t look away.”