Chapter 48

Her face contorted into what must have been the look of pure bliss and she let out a howling laugh. I was more confused than shocked as I stared at her for a while then eventually joined her with a nervous laugh that soon turned genuine.

I didn't know why but I was laughing so hard. Of course, it was a joke. Maybe a bad one, but a joke nonetheless. And I was taking her seriously.

It hit me like a basketball to the face when I realised how dumb I was being. I guess I just wasn't used to having a friend. With your friends, you could be free. Free to express yourself for all the quirks you had, good or bad. At work, I had to be professional… mostly. But with a friend, I could let down that social guard.

“You know how crazy that was?” I asked as we caught our breaths.

“I know. You were so scared,” said Sadie as she wiped her eyes.

“I was. It was a joke, right?”

We burst into another bout of laughter that lasted almost as long as the first.

“Can you imagine?” she asked. “Anyway, how about