Thoren
Gods help me—Michelle was going to scare her off.
Every time Nevara smiled, I felt a flicker of hope spark somewhere deep in my chest. But then Michelle would open her mouth again and I’d watch that smile tremble on the edge of retreat, like maybe she was reconsidering all her life choices. Including me.
Not that Michelle was doing it on purpose.
No, this was Michelle. Bright. Loud. Catastrophically enthusiastic. A walking avalanche of affection and opinion. She didn’t come with brakes. Or filters. Or volume control.
She was also relentless when it came to embarrassing stories.
“Remember the spring festival?” she said, grinning like the wolf she wasn’t. “When you tried to climb that pine tree for Laria—gods, she had the worst fashion sense—and your pants ripped straight down t
