Page 11 • Jan 3, 2026

Dull Dan really living up to his name?

Page 18 • Jan 3, 2026

Giannina –

I have amazing news. Marco has agreed with my vision for my character and has written in several scenes more for me! I’m getting a much more fleshed out arc. So, my filming dates are extended for another four weeks. He also believes that this movie might open doors in Hollywood for me and has advised me to start speaking and writing more in English for practice.

I thought – who better to practice with than you?

But thinking of you reminded me that you planned to fly here over your holiday break. So sorry, bambina, but I simply will not have time to host you here.

Perhaps see about visiting your father? I know he is busy, given how close we are to fashion week, but it may be worth a try.

My monthly deposit was made in your account this morning – a holiday bonus xx

Ciao,

Giulia

Inviato dal mio iPhone

Page 54 • Jan 3, 2026

She pointed to the stolen sweatshirt in the colors pile. “You have your own. I bought it for you!”

Though, with the frequency in which Gianna harbored Riley’s sweatshirt, she wouldn’t be surprised if the one that technically belonged to Gianna was long gone.

“Yours is better,” came Gianna’s standard, predicted response, as she perched on the chair next to Riley’s.

Page 68 • Jan 3, 2026

“But in a way, I guess I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?” Gianna asked, her voice so soft, as she drew comforting circles on Riley’s forearms with her thumbs.

“How Ellie did it,” she voiced aloud for the first time. “How Ellie just – she’s never seriously dated. Never. You know that. She never even seemed like she wanted to figure that part of herself out.” That was the frustrating part. Not directed at Ellie, but at the freaking universe. “I’ve been dating and trying to figure all of this out for over a decade, and – nothing. I’ve got nothing to show for it except for far too many anecdotes.”

She stared down at their hands for a few moments, working through the frustration and the disappointment and confusion that always accompanied this avenue of thought.

Page 101 • Jan 3, 2026

Riley –

Here’s the thing: you better not ever lower your standards, all right? You’ll find the person who melts you inside, the one you want to share all of your triumphs with and cry to about your hard times and vent with about the bad days. If YOU can’t, there would be no hope for anyone else.

But, I’ve come around to your decision on the matter – maybe it isn’t a bad idea to try new things. You should explore every avenue, all of the things you’ve thought about or wondered about.

I figured we can do it together. You pick what we’re starting with and when.

In fairness, as you obviously know, I’ve done it before (except for the one thing, you’ll see), but I’m always down to do the other things again.

XO

G

Page 101 • Jan 3, 2026

slid the top of the box off to see –

What the fuck?

– a vibrator, a strap-on and harness, a blind-fold, silk ties, and were those nipple clamps?

Page 102 • Jan 3, 2026

Confusion warred with shock as she could only stare at the words in front of her.

We can do it together?!

Page 103 • Jan 3, 2026

She’d been there with Gianna when a conservative group had protested outside of the LGBTQ+ Center in college their senior year and Gianna had decided to take her top off, bra included, as she’d walked by them to give them something to really feel scandalized about. There was no shame in her game.

Page 104 • Jan 3, 2026

We can do it together.

A part of her wanted to brush it off as a joke, because, what the hell else would it be?

But a much larger part that knew Gianna so well, knew when Gianna was joking. Riley knew all of Gianna’s tones, even in writing. She knew when she was irritated but hiding it under the guise of being professional. She knew when she was exhilarated, but trying to maintain a semblance of decorum. She knew what was meant as humorous and what was meant as serious, even when it could be misconstrued to nearly anyone else.

Page 119 • Jan 3, 2026

“We don’t want to have a slumber party like we’re in fucking middle school. We wanted you to get us into Grigio,” Amber retorted, shaking her head as she turned away from her to flag down the bartender again.

Page 120 • Jan 3, 2026

Why am I the only one here when all you’re offering is you?

Riley’s question refused to go away or dissipate. Right now, it was all Gianna could hear as she stared at her two friends, who were clearly agitated with her. And even though Gianna wanted to be agitated back – and, she was – mostly, she felt a similar feeling to the other night.

Page 123 • Jan 3, 2026

It was like Riley had shined a light on these moments, and whereas Gianna used to be able to ignore them or snark with her friends, she now felt like she was hearing every comment they made, magnified.

Which, in turn, made it harder and harder for her

Page 125 • Jan 3, 2026

“Actually, my dad didn’t get tickets for me this year,” she said flippantly, not slowing in her application of her makeup even as she carefully watched her friends’ responses in the mirror.

She watched the way Amber turned to glare at her, mouth falling open in either rage or offense, the way Melanie pouted, spilling some of the Grey Goose as she heavily dropped the bottle onto Gianna’s desk, and the way Katy clutched Gianna’s dress tightly.

“Are you kidding?”

“Gianna! What the fuck?”

“You lied to us!”

Despite the way her stomach completely bottomed out and left her nauseas, Gianna finished her winged eyeliner with a steady hand. “I never told any of you that I was even getting tickets,” she pointed out, turning to face her friends directly.

All of them looking at her like she’d betrayed them, stung them. Amber most of all, as she narrowed her eyes at Gianna. “What is wrong with you? You don’t ever laugh when we make jokes, you cancelled plans twice when you know we needed you to get into those parties, and now, you didn’t even get us tickets for fashion week? I’m fucking over it. We all are.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Well, maybe I’m over it, too,” she shot back, sounding a lot more certain than she felt.

It had been the beginning of a short argument, that resulted in Amber storming out and not a single person staying back with Gianna. They’d taken her alcohol, too.

That had been hours ago.

Page 126 • Jan 3, 2026

Right now, though, it swamped her. She didn’t know what to do while she felt like this. it – she – felt… ugly. Ugly and cold and mean, and her chest felt heavy and constricted, just like it had when Riley had left last month.

Page 126 • Jan 3, 2026

Fucking Riley, who changed everything.

Fucking Riley, who was making Gianna experience so many feelings. Feelings that were difficult to push down and away, feelings that kept trying to bubble to the surface.

Page 127 • Jan 3, 2026

This was fine. She didn’t need those fake friends; why would she? And if she did decide she wanted them back, then she could get them back! Clearly, all their friendship cost was a ticket to fashion week

Page 127 • Jan 3, 2026

Which Gianna did have.

Page 141 • Jan 3, 2026

Maybe she was experiencing compulsory heteronormativity or something?

Page 145 • Jan 3, 2026

And you’d like to do it, with me?

Page 145 • Jan 3, 2026

If you want to expand your horizons, then I am here

to be your number one supporter

Gianna – 2:17AM

Champion

Gianna – 2:17AM

Cheerleader

And… yeah. That all tracked, with Gianna.

Riley – 2:17AM

So… doing it WITH you?

Gianna – 2:18AM

A hands-on supporter, champion, cheerleader

Page 145 • Jan 3, 2026

I just figured – who wants to try something new

by themselves when you can do it with your best

friend?

Page 145 • Jan 3, 2026

Gianna – 2:20AM

Babe, I love doing everything with you. Why would

this be any different??

Riley was, again, speechless. Maybe she wouldn’t be if this had ever been something Gianna had ever even hinted at, but…

Page 146 • Jan 3, 2026

Gianna – 2:20AM

Why are you being so weird about this?

WHAT? Riley stared down at her phone, incredulous and righteous in equal measure.

Riley – 2:23AM

I’m not being so weird! I think I’m being

the right amount of weird

She stared down at their messages, needing to take a minute to think it all through. While she definitely didn’t think she was overreacting, maybe she shouldn’t be as thrown by this as she was

Page 146 • Jan 3, 2026

knew it in the way that she knew every detail about Gianna’s sex life – every person she’d been with, the way she wanted to be touched, the things people had done that had surprised her in both good and bad ways. She knew every little detail, because Gianna had absolutely no qualms in sharing it. She was so open about her sex life and sexuality and was so sex-positive, Riley honestly supposed she could be a little more surprised that this hadn’t ever come up between them, before.

Page 147 • Jan 3, 2026

Riley – 2:25AM

I guess it’s just kinda throwing me off a lot, because

none of that is ever anything we’ve done TOGETHER,

no matter how much we’ve talked about it. So, I didn’t

expect it and, like I said last week, my entire dating…

experience… has been so shitty lately and I feel so off-

balance in that area in general, it’s all so

Page 147 • Jan 3, 2026

What if I’m not good at it? Or, it doesn’t

work out because I’m just not… into it?

Page 147 • Jan 3, 2026

Gianna – 2:26AM

I know. You seemed really off your usual game last

week, so that’s why I figured we should do this.

Reserve some just-us time, recalibrate. Just like you

said: we can try something new. Not take everything

so seriously and just have fun together

Riley – 2:26AM

What if… I don’t

Page 148 • Jan 3, 2026

Riley – 2:28AM

You could say that

Gianna – 2:29AM

Well, none of this is that serious, all right? It’s just

you and me. If you aren’t into it, it’s not a big

deal AT ALL

Page 148 • Jan 3, 2026

Gianna – 2:26AM

Riley!!!

Gianna – 2:27AM

What in the world are you talking about? You

really must be in your own head lately, about the

state of your life, huh??

Page 149 • Jan 3, 2026

Riley – 2:31AM

I guess you’re right

Gianna – 2:31AM

I am. And you’re worrying me tbh so, I want you to

bring the stuff over my place tomorrow after you finish

work. I’ll clear my schedule and we’ll make a whole

night of it

Page 149 • Jan 3, 2026

Gianna – 2:29AM

But maybe it will work out! And besides, I only put

this gift together because YOU brought it up in the

first place

Page 150 • Jan 3, 2026

She, Riley Jane Beckett, had a sex date with her best friend.

Page 152 • Jan 3, 2026

Riley knew, in theory, how to touch a woman, she thought as she absently stirred the cream into her coffee at her desk. She was a woman, so… yeah, she understood the anatomy. But making a woman come seemed harder than making a man come, that seemed obvious. She took longer to come than any boyfriend she’d ever had. But, was there a trick?

Page 152 • Jan 3, 2026

Maybe the fact that she knew the ins and outs – no pun intended – of Gianna’s sexual preferences in the past would be handy – no pun intended.

Page 160 • Jan 3, 2026

Here was Owen, desperately hoping to have a second chance at wooing Gianna at the Holiday Spectacular. But it was her, of all people, that Gianna had made plans to hook up with.

Page 161 • Jan 3, 2026

What was new, though, was that it kickstarted a strange feeling deep in her stomach. This feeling that edged along the nerves that had kept her on-edge and daydreaming. An edge that was sharp with curiosity and anticipation in equal measure, one that had her stomach flip-flopping in a much more pleasant way than the anxiety.

Page 162 • Jan 3, 2026

It was weird to admit that she now had this fascination with something she’d never thought about before only a day ago, but now, it was true.

Page 166 • Jan 3, 2026

look hot,” Gianna finally commented, wolf-whistling.

It was far from the first time Gianna complimented her in such a way, but it was the first time the words made Riley’s pulse jump.

Page 169 • Jan 3, 2026

Most of the photos featured her with Gianna – them skiing in Aspen, hiking in Yellowstone, lounging on the beach in the Bahamas.

Page 172 • Jan 3, 2026

“No, no, no. Just, you stay where you are. This is fine. This is good. This is optimal for relaxation.”

Page 172 • Jan 3, 2026

A small smile played at her lips as she turned back to press her face against the bed. Yep, definitely on the same page.

Page 173 • Jan 3, 2026

octave, full of her joking tone. “Waves crashing on the shore. Your anchors listening to the things you tell them. The smell of a freshly baked cookie. Looking at your shoe collection and knowing you have a pair to match every outfit. Me, giving you a massage–”

Page 178 • Jan 3, 2026

“Something funny, carina?” Gianna asked, the Italian endearment slipping off her tongue.

Page 180 • Jan 3, 2026

“I think it was better to start this way,” she stated, feeling her heart pound harder as she looked into Gianna’s eyes, her pupils blown. “You were right.”

Page 180 • Jan 3, 2026

“I was…” Gianna still didn’t finish a sentence, as she was staring at Riley, with unwavering wide eyes.

“You are definitely a lot more outgoing, usually,” Riley whispered, and somehow, the dichotomy of that – that this was one of the only times she’d ever seen Gianna so reticent – made this moment somewhat endearing.

“I–”

Page 186 • Jan 3, 2026

Riley could only stare at her, like – was this some sort of insane joke?

“What does the gift even have to do with… this?” Gianna asked, gesturing between them, wide-eyed.

Riley’s mouth fell open, incredulous. “You think I’d let you fuck me with a strap-on if we didn’t even kiss?”

“What?!” The word would have been a scream, Riley knew it. If it didn’t sound like Gianna could do anything more than gasp, that was.

Page 201 • Jan 3, 2026

Only for a few seconds, before she blinked herself out of it, and traded shirts. “Not sure if I’ve ever told you think, but you have great tits,” Gianna said, as she tugged Riley’s sweatshirt on.

Page 201 • Jan 3, 2026

Riley huffed out a laugh, pulling the sweatshirt she’d bought for Gianna down onto herself. “Coming from you, whose body looks like it was sculpted by gods, that means a lot.”

Page 205 • Jan 3, 2026

With gentle movements of her makeup wipes, she removed the makeup from Gianna’s face.

And… it felt… strange. Terrifying yet comforting, all at once.

Riley’s fingers on her jaw were warm and firm without being commanding. The hand she used to wipe Gianna’s makeup off with used soft strokes, and she’d smooth her fingertips lightly over her clean, bare skin as she went. Delicate touches over Gianna’s cheeks, her jaw, her eyelids.

Page 218 • Jan 3, 2026

“If work gets stressful while I’m away, you always have some new items at home to help work it all out.” That cheeky tone was, again, so normal.

Page 219 • Jan 3, 2026

Only to snap her gaze back to the food Gianna delivered when she realized her gaze had fallen to her friend’s ass.

… oh, no.

That was decidedly not normal.

Page 228 • Jan 3, 2026

“I think I’m attracted to women.” Yeah, no, that didn’t even feel like it came close to what she was feeling. Her stomach felt like it twisted in on itself as she corrected, “I am attracted to… a woman.”

Ellie’s hazel eyes were so wide as they stared at her, growing wider by the second, and Riley felt like she could see Ellie’s brain as she tried to process through what she’d said.

Honestly, given the lack of precedence for this, it seemed understandable.

“I know it’s – it’s new. And kind of out of left field.”

“Kind of?” Ellie’s eyebrows were so high on her forehead, Riley was convinced they would lift above her head, if it was biologically possible.

“Fine, it is out of left field!”

Page 228 • Jan 3, 2026

When she looked at Ellie again, her sister wasn’t looking at her, but was instead staring down at her phone, where an incomplete email looked back at her. But Riley knew she wasn’t thinking about work. No, the cogs in her sister’s giant brain were thinking about her.

Page 233 • Jan 3, 2026

“And it also kicked off Gianna and I almost having sex,” she gave in, needing to air it all out.

“What?!” Ellie’s shout made her wince, as well as drawing every eye in the room yet again.

Page 233 • Jan 3, 2026

“Well, perhaps this wasn’t the best place for you to tell me that you almost had sex with Gianna, because – hey, surprise! – you’re not straight.”

Page 233 • Jan 3, 2026

“That’s a good point.”

She took in a deep breath, trying to tame the unexpected amusement at her… situation.

“I didn’t think that much of it,” she explained as she sobered. “The almost-having-sex thing. Other than it just, made sense in the moment.”

Page 234 • Jan 3, 2026

“What about that made sense?” Ellie spoke carefully, as if picking through her words, blessedly making sure to keep her voice down. “And, um, what did Gianna say? About it all?”

“She said that she was attracted to me, too.”

Page 235 • Jan 3, 2026

“But I think I might want to.”

Page 235 • Jan 3, 2026

“Let me explain! There are a lot of very logical parts to this.”

Page 235 • Jan 3, 2026

“First, it’s been forever since I’ve had sex. And I miss it, Ellie. I want it.” God, she really, really did.

Page 235 • Jan 3, 2026

“Second, I’ve had such bad luck in dating lately that I’m not even sure I can stomach going on another date with a guy for months. At least. And third, if Gianna and I have sex, it means that I get to have fun, explore this whole side to my sexuality, and not worry about anything.”

Page 236 • Jan 3, 2026

“No!” Ellie reached up and pulled Riley’s hand away from her, vehemently shaking her head. “So, you don’t have feelings for Gianna and you want to – to just start having sex with her?”

Page 238 • Jan 3, 2026

“Gianna is your best friend. Unless you are both totally and completely on the same page, it could get really complicated and someone could get hurt.” Ellie’s gaze was intent and intense as it locked onto Riley’s. “Seriously hurt.”

Page 240 • Jan 3, 2026

When they’d started her tutoring, the first practice test Ellie had given her resulted in a 69 – which, for the record, Ellie did not find as amusing as Gianna had.

Page 245 • Jan 3, 2026

“What the hell am I going to do when I can’t pass this gen ed? For a second time.”

And Ellie had answered promptly. “Either have to take an extra semester of school or drop out, I suppose, if you can never pass.”

Page 245 • Jan 3, 2026

“Rhetorical, Ellie.”

“Ah. Okay. I’ll work on that, while you work on physics,”

Page 247 • Jan 3, 2026

“Shouldn’t the brain trust here at MIT be, you know, above that kind of crap?” Gianna asked, pissed on Ellie’s behalf. She had no problem putting it into words.

Ellie scoffed out a laugh. “I don’t think most people are above that kind of crap.”

Page 250 • Jan 3, 2026

“People are my kind of science, Ellie.”

Page 367 • Jan 4, 2026

“What you said to Mia, about her being family, was very sweet. That’s my Riley. Collecting strays, giving them a home. Stray queers, I might add.”

Riley scoffed. “What are you talking about?”

Page 399 • Jan 4, 2026

“You deserve better than that,”

Page 453 • Jan 4, 2026

“Even if you’re right, that still leaves me with no clear path forward,”

Page 457 • Jan 4, 2026

“I guess, men are the people who usually approach me or ask me out. And they’re easy.” She arched an eyebrow at Riley, “I know when a man is interested. And I know how I make them interested. Women don’t feel so simple.”

Page 465 • Jan 4, 2026

You were just a child, with no control over your own life, taken from the only stability you’d been given. knew you were scared and hurting. I hated so deeply that you were taken from me, but I never was mad at you.

Page 469 • Jan 4, 2026

She had to tell Gianna that she had feelings for her. It was a part of their agreement from the day they’d crossed the line into something more, it was an agreement Gianna set forth with every sexual partner, one expected them to abide by. It was something that meant a lot to Gianna.

Page 495 • Jan 4, 2026

Gianna breathed out a laugh that was more derision than anything else. “I mean, why would my parents getting married and not even telling me about it, let alone invite me to it, be a big deal? At the very least, they’re consistent. Some people would love to have consistency from their parents.”

Page 497 • Jan 4, 2026

“Why am I just so inconsequential to them?”

Page 497 • Jan 4, 2026

“I just don’t understand. I’ll never understand. It doesn’t matter what I do or how successful I am – I just don’t understand.”

Page 499 • Jan 4, 2026

“Why don’t they care?” Gianna asked, eventually, when her tears subsided and her breathing was coming back to normal.

Page 499 • Jan 4, 2026

“Why did they even have me, if they just don’t care?”

Page 500 • Jan 4, 2026

“What the hell is the point? What’s the point of having one if you don’t love them? Abortion was already way legal when they got pregnant with me, so why? Why would they have me, if they didn’t want me around, ever? I would want my child to feel so… loved,” her voice turned soft. Contemplative. “I would want them to feel – vital. Important.”

Page 527 • Jan 4, 2026

“So, you and Gianna have been, uh, engaging in intercourse–”

Page 557 • Jan 4, 2026

“Because of politics, and wars, and foreign affairs, and capitalism, even down to local crime – just to name a few things – the future of the world looks pretty fucking bleak, especially on the news. Who wants to watch that all of the time?”

Page 564 • Jan 4, 2026

“I know I said it wouldn’t change anything, but that was before you two broke things off.”

Page 582 • Jan 4, 2026

“I’m scared,”

Page 584 • Jan 4, 2026

“And I kissed you because of that. I kissed you, because I have feelings for you. I kissed you, because when I heard what you said tonight on the livestream, I could have passed out from how fucking happy it made me.”

Page 585 • Jan 4, 2026

“I kissed you, because I’ve missed being able to kiss you for the last three days. Because I couldn’t stand to hear you berate yourself when you didn’t do anything wrong. At least,” a wild, disbelieving laugh broke from her throat, “You didn’t do anything I also didn’t do, ten times worse.”

Page 596 • Jan 4, 2026

“You’re really going to make me say it? Fine. There’s a difference between people like us,” he gestured between them, “And most other people. Like Riley.”

Page 598 • Jan 4, 2026

Maybe I should… date Riley.

Page 625 • Jan 4, 2026

“Any parting words?” Gianna asked, bracing herself against the counter.

Ellie’s face screwed up in thought. “Uh… if you break her heart, I know thousands of chemical compounds that are lethal to human beings, several of which are untraceable.”

Page 625 • Jan 4, 2026

“Are you shovel-talking me?!” She couldn’t help but dissolve into laughter, more than grateful to focus on that, than the unknown logistics of her impending date. “I would have never expected this.”

Page 645 • Jan 4, 2026

“I would have supported you,” her honest answer was just as quiet, but less sad, even as she mustered a small, humorless smile, “I mean, I think sometimes it might have been hard; god knows it was back with Ashton.”

Page 645 • Jan 4, 2026

“Even then, though, as much as I never thought he deserved you, as much as I hadn’t yet lived with my feelings for you for long enough that they’d become second-nature, I… I wanted it, for you.” It was as simple as that. It was all she could offer, as she shrugged, helplessly. “You have wanted the loving, unfailing relationship part of life since I’ve known you. So, I wanted it for you.”