“You happen to like all sorts of ugly things,” I reminded him, even as I closed my eyes and let him dot kisses along the side of my neck. “That shirt, your car, like ninety-nine percent of your shoe collection—hey!”

I broke off laughing and rubbing the spot he’d poked on my ribs. “No fair,” I said, lifting my head to give him a quick kiss. “You know I can’t poke you back.”

Smiling, David eased off me and sat on the floor. I slid down, too, sitting next to him and linking our hands as we both leaned back against my bed.

“So you aren’t mad or jealous or weird?”

“I’m always weird,” he acknowledged with a twist of his lips. “But mad or jealous? Nah. What’s Ryan got that I don’t have? I mean other than height and fabulous hair and cheekbones carved from granite.”

I laughed and shook my head, tugging at his hair. “I like this. Most of the time.”

David’s lips brushed mine, briefly again, and I know I said I wouldn’t do anything with my parents right downstairs, but I’d be lying if I said, in that moment, I didn’t want to.

There were times things with David were weird—and I don’t mean the Oracle stuff. We’d spent all our lives arguing, so this sudden shift to coupledom had been a tough transition in some ways. But when it was only the two of us, hanging out alone, we almost felt normal.

He pulled back again, returning to his chair. “Anything else happen at the mall?”

“I might have figured out at least one of the trials,” I told him, handing over the flyer. “Same date as the last night of the moon cycle. Seems like a possibility, at least.”

David’s eyes scanned the paper. “They do seem to like picking big events for maximum damage, don’t they?” he murmured. He glanced up at me then, quirking an eyebrow. “Will you twirl a baton?” he asked. “Please promise me a baton will be involved. And, like, huge hair.”

I swatted at him. “You know I despise pageants. But I’m doing this for the greater good. And, hey”—I shrugged—“maybe it will make me look even more well rounded on my college applications.”

“Well, as long as that’s the only reason,” he said with a shudder, and a little sizzle of irritation buzzed through me.

“It’s not like the pageant is that big of a deal,” I told him. “And Bee wanted do it.”

That wiped the smirk off his face. Brows drawing together, he shifted so his elbows rested on his knees. “How is she? After the other day?”

I picked up one of the throw pillows from my bed, tugging at the embroidery. “She’s... okay. Obviously still shaken up and trying to come to terms with all of this.”