I know that I can’t jump the gun on this, even if he’s my friend.

“They’re not that great of tweets,” I warn him. “Mostly fandom stuff.” I reach for my phone on my bed and then pause before logging into Twitter. “I was thinking about changing my username though.”

“Oh no.” He points at me. “You’re one of those people who changes their usernames every day, aren’t you?” He’s nearly smiling as he says it, and he tilts his head at me. “How am I going to find my girl if you’re willowkicksass one day and vegalover the next?”

“Ha ha.” My cheeks hurt from my own smile. In the mirror, I notice an actual blush rising. “And you’d find me. It’d just take you a couple seconds…maybe even less.” Not because he’s good at computers.

But because he knows what I like.

“Probably.” His knee brushes against mine, on accident. We both go still. My heavy breath is more audible than his.

So he scoots back his chair, giving me more room.

I clear my throat, my neck burning again. “The next username I make, I want to go public with it and promote Superheroes & Scones. Lily also keeps asking for my u.n. so she can tweet me.” I hold my phone flat on my lap. “I won’t change this one all the time like the others.”

He sees the Twitter login screen. “Have you already picked it out?”

“Yeah, I wanted to do something like Lo. He has his name paired with his favorite mutant.” His username: lorenhellion. “The problem is that willowallflower is already taken.”

Garrison doesn’t seem surprised when I say the word wallflower—instead he just points at my phone screen. “Make the double L’s in ‘wallflower’ capital I’s and it’ll look the same on Twitter.”

I type in the changes, and he’s right. The I’s show up more like L’s, and this username is available. Before I accept the new username, I ask, “You know Wallflower?” She’s not a well-known mutant, and she’s not around for long in the comics.

“You mentioned her in your questionnaire.”

I did?

“I looked her up,” he explains off my confusion, “figured it couldn’t hurt with Maya grilling me every shift.” He spins some in his chair, pretty casual. “Do you like Wallflower with the blond guy or the brown-haired one?” He leans back.

I’m trying so hard not to smile like he’s put his hands on my cheeks. Like he’s kissed me. I just—this is surreal. That he’s here, talking to me about my favorite mutants. He’s not laughing. He’s not calling me a little girl. He’s not calling me dumb or silly. He’s respecting the things I love.

He stares at the ceiling, trying to recall something. “I remember looking up their names.” He swivels. “Shit.” He thinks a second longer. “Elixir…and Wither?”

“Yeah, that’s them. They’re in a love triangle with Wallflower.” I don’t mention how their romances don’t end very well, in case he wants to read the comics. “I like her with Wither, even if they’re doomed from the start.”