Ever stood in front of the mirror above the bathroom sink. Try as he might, he couldn’t get his hair to look the way that it did when he just got it cut last week. His phone rattled on the bench behind him. Giving up on his hair, he turned around and picked it up.

  It was a new message from Zoe: an attachment. He opened it up, revealing a selfie she had taken. Her chestnut hair that was usually done as a simple ponytail or put up into a bun now fell in ripples over her milky shoulders. The red dress she wore accentuated her modest curves and cascaded gently to her knees. She was making a peace sign and pouting so hard that she squinted.

  “See you soon!” The message said underneath.

  Ever took a selfie as well and sent it. He hoped it made her feel as excited to see him that hers did for him. He was just about to put the phone down when he saw Taylor’s name lower in the text list. Ever since last Thursday, he hadn’t heard from her. Logan hadn’t rostered them on together, probably because she had requested it. He sighed; at least he’d had this experience once before and knew now not to overthink the situation.

  ^Hello Ever!^ A couple of happy barks. Mimi had scampered in, paws clicking on the tiles. He’d tried clipping her long nails but she ran away each time he got close. ^Oooh, you look nice!^

  “Thanks Mimi,” Ever said. “I don’t suppose you have any dating advice for me?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  ^What’s a date?^ A bark, a whine, a turn of the head.

  “I… I’m not too sure myself, really.” Ever put his hands on his hips, staring at his reflection as if it were a different person who had the answers. “We’re going to eat and talk I guess.”

  ^Don’t you do that already?^

  “We haven’t had a chance to, we’ve been too busy.”

  ^Oh. What are you going to eat?^

  “I think it’s an Italian restaurant, so maybe spaghetti?”

  ^Long, yellow, saucy things with meat balls?^ She was beginning to drool.

  “That’s right.”

  ^What are you going to talk about?^

  Ever straightened his new jacket. While it was a bit uncomfortable wearing new clothes, it did make him feel good about himself.

  “Everything, I guess. I’ll tell her about being an apprentice to Death, how I’ve been reaping the souls of the animals at her clinic…”

  ^How you feel about her?^ Mimi suggested.

  He went quiet. How did he feel about her? All that he knew was that he looked forward to seeing her when they were apart for too long and that time seemed to pass quickly when they were talking, even if it was just exchanging texts over the phone.

  “Yeah,” Ever said, nodding at his reflection. “I think I might.”