Bea quietly wrapped the book in a thin paper bag, but her eyes kept going to Zeno. She still didn't understand why Zeno was trying to pursue stripping, but as his fan, she felt like she had the responsibility to tell him something.
She cleared her throat.
Zeno glanced up.
"Look, I don't know what you're going through," she began, her voice light and a little awkward. "But… people don't really like others just because they're perfect or cool or whatever. They like them because they face their crap head-on."
Zeno slightly tilted his head. What was she talking about?
"I mean, okay—some people look like they have it all together," Bea continued, talking fast, her words coming in a rush like she was trying to outrun her own embarrassment, "but really, it's the ones who show up anyway even if it's difficult."
Her cheeks burned. Meanwhile, Zeno still didn't understand why she was saying this to him.
