Roni Loren

Everyone is a serial killer until proven otherwise

“Okay. Don’t die.”

“Yes. Always the number one daily goal.”

She could deal with this.

He was just a guy. In a world full of them.

“And really, all awkward means is showing someone else that you’re human. I think that secret’s already out.” He gave her a somber look. “Hollyn, I’m not a robot—much to the disappointment of my former nine-year-old, Transformers-loving self.”

“Me? In an improv class with my coworkers? You’re out of your goddamned mind. I’d rather go to the dentist and get all my teeth pulled without pain meds or enter a cage with a hungry lion. That’s like worst-nightmare stuff for me. Black widow spiders everywhere.”

“So is that what happens for you with anyone you don’t know?” he asked.

“What?”

“You go into avoidance mode.” He jabbed a thumb to where he’d been talking with Rodrigo. “I was going to pull you into the conversation, but it was like you’d put up a force field around yourself. You wouldn’t even look up. You became one with the furniture.”

Don’t go around thinking everyone else has it together. We’re all just falling apart in different ways.”

“That’s depressing.”

Andi shrugged. “Meh. Or comforting.”