He wondered if it was wise to have a crush on his best friend. He also wondered if it counted as having a "best friend" if you only had one friend. He thought so. They sat on her bed, a swiped bag of gummy bears between them. Her hair was wet, wrapped up in that snail-towel thing all girls somehow know how to do. She smelled nice.

He held up a green gummy bear, squishing it between his fingers, "Did you know the green ones are strawberry flavored?"

She shook her head, "You're full of shit."

"It's true, look it up!"

"I don't need to. I know that you're just messing with me."

He put his hand over his heart, "You wound me. Have you even known me to be dishonest a day in my life?"

"Oh no, sir, never," she smiled, undoing the towel. She ran her fingers through her still-wet hair before falling upon the bed, "You are a model citizen, an inspiration."

"While you, by comparison, are the lowly thief I debase myself to consort with."

"Me?" She gestured towards herself with false shock, "I would never."

"Think again, Aladdin. You are guilty of having stolen the heart of the nation, and for that you must die a painful death," he threw a gummy bear, hitting her in the face.

"Oh my god, you're such a nerd!" She threw it back at him, laughing. He picked it up and ate it, feeling his heart bubble behind his smile.

"Tell us," he held an imaginary microphone towards her, "how do you manage to be you all the time? Isn't it exhausting?"

She leaned into the pretend mic, smirking, "Oh, it definitely is. You should see my intern, he's an absolute nightmare. Really puts the 'ass' in assistant."

"So the rumors are true? Your assistant does have a great ass?"

"Yes, although it's all fake. They did a lot of borrowing from his personality."

"Is that why everyone says he's such a huge prick?"

"Okay, now I literally have to kill you," she punched him, hard.

"Well that's was very unprofessional of you," he shoved her.

"You aren't supposed to shove a lady, idiot," she sat up, hitting his arm again. Being the top of her combat classes gave her an unfair advantage.

"Alright, let me know if you see one."

She grabbed his arm, causing him to lose his balance, almost smacking faces with her.

He wanted the moment preserved in stain glass. Time slowed, his thrumming heart an unreliable metronome. Her cheeks pinched at the corners of her smile, even her eyes lighting up. He had a strong suspicion that maybe he could be a poet after all. If ever there was something to write about, this was it. Her laugh simmered in his ears, slipping down until it echoed throughout the hollow of his ribs. He wondered what would happen if he tried to kiss her right now. He regrouped, shoving himself up quickly.

She straightened up, running a brush through her hair, "No offense, but you really need to work out more. Your punches feel like little kittens licking my arms."

"They do not! Besides, that's only because the full affect of my attack might literally kill you."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah sure, whatever."

"I am a lethal man."

"Oh? Should I be scared?" Her voice rang with amusement.

"Only if you're allergic to charming and handsome young men."

"Oh I definitely am."

"Really?" He smiled.

She nodded gravely, "Oh absolutely. Deathly so. So please, tell me if you see one."

He threw another gummy bear at her, not even minding the jibe since it gave him the chance to hear her laugh.