Page 19
Bliss watched through the mirror. “Who is the picture for?”
“Me.”
The answer appeared without hesitation.
Aura took several photographs before returning the phone. I opened the first and studied the woman on the screen. My hair looked gorgeous, and so did I. The sweater showed my waist and the soft curve of my stomach above my jeans. My breasts appeared fuller beneath the knit fabric, and my thighs touched where the denim followed them.
The old voice attempted to enter through the familiar opening, offering corrections before I could enjoy anything. I dismissed it without negotiation.
“I’m posting this.”
Bliss pressed one hand against her chest. “Right now?”
“Do I need government authorization?”
“No, but your personal account has been inactive since Christmas.”
“I’ve been busy.”
Aura took the phone and examined the photographs again. “Post the second one. Your tits look better.”
“They look the same.”
“They’re angled better.”
I swiped to the second picture. “You’re right.”
Bliss looked offended. “I still haven’t seen it.”
“You’re physically attached to an electrical appliance.”
“My hands work.”
I carried the phone across the room and held it in front of her. Bliss enlarged the picture before nodding with serious approval.
“Ryan is going to choke.”
The old version of me would have lost the ability to breathe. I rolled my eyes and took back the phone. “That isn’t why I’m posting it.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.” Her voice softened. “I do.”
The mood shifted quietly, carried into the room by everything waiting at the end of the week. Aura noticed it too. She adjusted in her chair but didn’t rescue either of us with a joke. Her stylist continued running the flat iron through a narrow section of hair, concentrating with the determination of a woman who understood this conversation existed around her job.
I posted the photograph to my personal account with no caption beyond a blonde-haired emoji, then returned the phone to the table.
Bliss waited until I sat in the empty chair beside her. “I need to talk to you about New York.”
“You’ve talked about New York every day for eleven months.”
“About Ryan.”
“Much less frequently.”
“That was intentional.”
