The rest of the day went by in a way that almost felt unreal. No drama, no sharp words, no glares across tables. Just me and Val… being us.
We laughed more than we probably should've. Talked about things that didn't even matter. Things that didn't need to matter. At one point, she leaned across the couch and tugged at my shirt just to tell me she thought my hair looked funny when it stuck up in the back. Then she laughed like it was the best joke she'd ever made.
Another time, she decided my handwriting was too "boring," so she stole my notebook, wrote "Kai is mine" in her ridiculous bubbly letters across the margin, and handed it back proudly as if she'd just signed a masterpiece.
And then there was the moment she put a blanket over Duchess, whispering, "Shh, she's dreaming," like our cat was the most precious royal in the kingdom. Which, apparently, she was in Val's head.
