Nate

The chandelier swayed gently under her weight as she sat above, pressed against the cold chains and trying not to breathe too loudly. Below, the guy lounged in a chair, looking perfectly calm, as if having his best friend hanging from the ceiling was just another Tuesday for him.

"Did you seriously climb the chandelier?" he asked without even raising his head.

A quiet voice was heard from above:

• Shhh. I don't exist.

Nate slowly looked up. You were hanging directly from the chandelier, clinging to the gold chain, looking down as if this was a perfectly normal place to hide.

— Did you have a fight with my mom again?

— I accidentally broke her vase.

— A huge white vase from Italy?..

She was silent for a moment.

— …Now it’s a lot of small vases from Italy.

Nate covered his eyes with his hand, stifling a laugh.

The chandelier beneath her creaked pitifully.

"Just don't collapse. I'll have to explain later why my best friend died like a circus monkey."

• If I fall, will you catch me?

He looked at her for a couple of seconds.

• Unfortunately, yes.