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After my shift at the market, Angela meets me and we grab some teriyaki.

"Did you see that email from the landlord?" she asks. I fork a piece of chicken into my mouth and give her a blank stare. "You never check your email, you asshole, and by default you make me become the responsible one in the house. I hate it."

"I do check my email," I laugh. "I really do. I just… overlook things sometimes. What'd she say, though?"

"Our lease is up next month."

"Right."

"And she's raising rent by $400."

"Gross. Is she allowed to do that?"

"She gave us thirty days notice, so yeah. I guess. Do you want to stay?"

I groan, adding more Sriracha to my food. "I mean, yes and no. I can't really afford to pay an extra two-hundred bucks on rent, but moving blows."

"It fucking sucks," she agrees. "But I guess we can just look on Craigslist over the next few weeks and then decide."

I nod in agreement, and we pay the bill and head out.

"Should we go get a beer?" Angela asks, staring into the windows of shops as we walk down the street.

"I don't know. I'm kind of tired after last night, and I didn't even drink that much."

"That's because you're getting old."

"I want to hate you for saying that, but I think—"

"Bella?"

When I turn around at the sound of my name, I find Edward standing a few feet away from us. He's wearing a small smile and his face is open, expectant. Like he's not surprised to see me here.

"Edward."

"Hi," he says, looking amused.

"Hi," I repeat, my eyes darting over to the girl standing next to him.

"This is my roommate, Jess," he introduces.

"Ah. So this is Bella," she says, giving Edward a playful smile. "Rosalie's friend."

I look at Edward, who doesn't seem to be as amused as Jess.

"I'm Angela. Not Rosalie's friend," Ange says. They must think she's joking, because they laugh. But she's not joking. Not even a little bit.

"So what are you guys doing?" Edward asks after a beat of silence.

"We were just about to go grab a beer," Angela tells them. "Wanna join us?"

"I'm always down," Jess says excitedly. "Have you been to Public House?"

"Yeah. I got wasted there on a date. Great beer," Ange recalls with a laugh.

I remember that date. The guy she was out with was from upstate New York. He showed up wearing a blazer, which is harmless enough, but Ange couldn't get over his pretentiousness. So she got drunk, swore to God she was insanely religious, and made up stories about growing up Baptist. He ended up leaving her at the bar. Mostly because she'd started talking to another guy while he was still there.

Before I realize what's happening, Angela and Jess begin walking away from Edward and me, sharing stories about terrible dates.

"Nice of you to include us!" I yell after them.

Edward smirks. "They clearly aren't hitting it off at all."

"Clearly. So do you want to go with them, or do you have other plans?"

"I'm good for a beer or two," he says, and slides his hands into his pockets as we walk side-by-side.

When we get to the brewery, we sit at the bar, and the overly-excited bartender tells us about the beer on tap. We decide on the IPA and a pale ale, ordering a pitcher of each. I point out to Edward and Angela that this doesn't constitute as a beer or two, but they both ignore me, filling our glasses.

"Should I be jealous?" I face Edward because Angela is turned away from me, lost in conversation with Jess. "I feel like she's found a new best friend."

"Nah. It's only a matter of time before Jess starts talking about how she's vegan. I have a feeling Angela won't stand for it."

I cringe. "There are two types of people Angela hates: vegans, and attention whores."

"Those seem to go hand in hand, I think."

"Exactly."

He breathes out a laugh. "So what were you doing in this part of town?"

I take a long gulp of beer. "Well… I have a booth at the market. So I was doing that until three, before Angela met me for food."

"Yeah? What do you sell?"

"Jewelry."

"Like what?"

"Like the kind you wear."

His eyes squint when he laughs, and I'm suddenly thinking about his photo on Facebook.

"Do you have some pictures you could show me?" he asks, looking interested.

I release a long, drawn-out sigh. "I guess. But you can't make fun of me."

"I will if necessary."

I playfully frown as I scroll through my photos, then shift the phone in his direction. He leans in, so our shoulders are touching. And it's such a simple move that means nothing, but to me it's something.

"So this is a hatchet," I say, giving him the most basic explanation of the charms I make. "This is an axe. This is a dagger."

"Wait. So you make tiny hatchet and axe necklaces?"

I shove his shoulder. "I told you not to make fun of me!"

"I'm not. I think it's really cool. But you realize this doesn't help my suspicions that you killed Liam the other night, right?"

Remembering that conversation, I tip my head back in laughter. "I swear it was just a nosebleed. Chalk it up to seasonal allergies or whatever."

"If I see your mugshot on the news, you realize I'm obligated to write a tell-all book, yeah?"

"Don't you dare."

"Yep. About how I knew you back when. I'll write about your fascination with weapons and how your cute laugh always threw me off."

My chest feels funny, and, "You think my laugh is cute?"

He takes a drink. "Among other things."

I clear my throat, making sure Angela and Jess aren't listening. "So… uh… what were you doing in this part of town?"

"Oh, we live just a couple blocks away."

"Cool."

"Yeah."

Jess leaves her spot and comes over to Edward and me, placing a hand on each of our shoulders. "So basically I'm in love with Angela and you're both invited to my grad party on Friday. It's at our place, around seven. If you aren't there, I will scream."

Before I have a chance to react, Ange and Jess head across the bar, toward the shuffleboard table.

"Do you think that's a real invite, or an alcohol-induced invite?" I wonder.

"Doesn't matter," he muses. "You should definitely stop by. Hang out, keep me company."

"I'll think about it," I say after a minute, but the look on his face lets me know I don't have any choice but to go.

Thanks to the FicSisters for sending new readers my way! You guys made my day.

Kim and Vic are the best and don't get freaked out when I stalk them on social media. That is all.