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ectives. And it might be just the right moment to get my contacts to take some action." I assumed that the menacing tone in her voice said, "They would get your secrets out of your den." It took everything I had not to giggle at her in spite of everything. She only intended to foresee dangers, but all she really accomplished was one thing: she won the worst actor prize for herself. I laughed, "Oh Shelly, you are so silly," and the words somehow found a beat all by themselves. A scowl appeared on her forehead as perplexity swap into her face. "Wait, why did you just call me that?" Her fierce, insatiable desire to appear tough vanished out of her head in an instant. Thankfully, her fleeting love for performing had left her behind. "Because you are silly," I leaned down and kissed her cheek. "My Silly Oldie." "You did not just call me that, Anna," She moaned, her face shrinking like a bird as she gazed at me with all the strength in my body. The only emotion visible on her face was frustration. "Well, I actually did," I said, laughing too hard to contain myself. Being around Shelly was great because of this. Regardless of the cause-whether it was Shelly being herself, or me, whose mind would constantly cycle through thoughts of upsetting her and getting some ridiculous response from her-my mood would always improve because of her, in spite of everything and the mess that had been jumbled in my head for a very long time. "You know, fine," I would be lying if I claimed that I didn't find her sad exhibition of expressing her displeasure humorous. She puffed, and a sort of hostility shouted through her actions as her fingers suddenly violently delved into the miserable dough that she had been kneading with hands full of tender care and love up until now. "You'll grow old eventually, and when that happens, I'll watch from above and laugh at you. Only then will my retaliation succeed. Now is your chance, so make the most of it." I embraced her from the side, stroking her, "Oh my sweet honey-bun," "Okay, I won't call you old even though...." She gave me a stern glare and a frown that settled on her brow, making me stop talking mid sentence and choke back a chuckle that was about to burst forth. "You really hate being called old, don't you?" Eventually, I started to laugh. "Yes, I do and I'd very much appreciate it if you stop calling me old all the time!" She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Okay, so what do you want me to call you?" "Anything, or just my name but not that word." She found a novel method to convey her dislike by pretending to shiver. "How about Sexy then? Do you think that sounds good? She winced at the phrase, and I could tell she was thinking a thousand other things in that instant. "That's even worse," she said. Anna, what's wrong with you? "What's wrong with you, Shelly?" I mimicked her voice, totally concentrated on my goal of upsetting her, and based on the way her face changed colour, I knew I was almost there. "Anna, I'm gonna whip your arse today," Even though she had just been handed a basket of chocolates an hour earlier, she chastised me like a grandm