Blacktail Deer Plateau sick love is my modern cliche

Easy was delighted when he agreed to her suggestion. His playful nudge sent her heart soaring, and she skipped alongside him as though Christmas had come early. They were going to cuddle! Without Dawn! It would be like a fairy-tale... or at least a win over Dawn. Easy could really use a win in that department.

And then Aditya had to go and ruin it. Her gait lost its happy bounce when he went on about stories. Why oh why do you have to do this to me, Adi? she thought, shooting the man a sullen look.

"You don't have to talk to me like that, you know," she said after a moment, trying for a hearty tone and ending up sounding a bit constipated. "Like I'm a baby. I'm just as capable of intelligent conversation as you are. And I don't want to listen to stories."