True: An Elixir Novel by Hilary Duff

there was something different about Sage. Can she tell it’s really him inside Nico’s body?
    She stalks to him and peers into the skillet withsuch disdain I’m sure she’s going to spit in it. “You went through my kitchen. You used my parmesan.”
    I almost cry, I’m so relieved. Let her hate Sage for violating her cheese. I’m cool with that.
    “I did,” Sage says. “And if you’d like to join us, I think you’ll be very pleased with the results.”
    Piri’s eyes squint, and I know I have to get Sage out of the room as soon as possible. Even if she doesn’t suspect anything yet, she will soon. The real Nico would be falling all over himself to apologize, bowing and scraping until he won back Piri’s approval. Sage . . . not so much.
    “Smells good, right?” he says.
    Note to self: When a man takes over someone else’s body, probably best to brief that man on what the previous resident was like.
    Then again, Sage trying to play Nico would probably be an even worse disaster.
    “Why are you here,” Piri asks, “without your girlfriend?”
    His eyes shoot toward me. No. Bad.
    “ Because ,” I say brightly, “ Nico wants to make Rayna a special meal, and he’s practicing to make sure he gets it right.”
    Piri sniffs the air, a human lie detector. She glares up at Sage, her hands on her hips. “Nomore cooking in my kitchen. You want eggs? I’ll make you eggs.”
    She reaches for the pan, but Sage sweeps it out of the way. “I’m good, thanks. These are fine.”
    Piri’s face turns beet red as Sage flips the frittata onto a plate, then sweeps into the dining room, which I can see he’s already set with our plates and a huge pot of tea. “You coming, Clea?”
    “In a sec.”
    I bend close to Piri. “Sorry about Nico. He’s not himself. I think he and Rayna are going through a little rough patch.”
    “Hmmm.”
    “He really wants to make it up to her with a surprise. So when you see her, please don’t say anything about this. You probably shouldn’t say anything to Wanda, either. She’s not so great at keeping secrets.”
    “Hmmm.”
    Piri’s mouth is a thin straight line, and she won’t stop glaring into the dining room at Sage. The best thing I can do is get him out of her sight.
    “Breakfast looks great,” I say as I walk into the dining room. Behind me, I hear Piri mutter in Hungarian and make spitting noises. I lower my voice. “Maybe we should take it upstairs.”
    “Why? I have the table all laid out.”
    “Just . . . trust me. Please.” I already have our plates and utensils in my hands and am on my way out of the room. Sage follows with the teapot. “It’s only until I talk to Rayna,” I add when we’re out of earshot. “I don’t want Piri saying anything to her, so the less she sees of you the better.”
    Sage follows me into my room and I lock the door behind us, then spread a blanket on the floor. I arrange our plates on it. “Like a picnic. It’s good, right?”
    “It’s perfect,” Sage says.
    But he’s not looking at breakfast, he’s looking at me. He moves closer, shrinking the distance between us, and my heart thuds in my chest. I’ve been in a scattered frenzy all morning, but now the whole world shrinks down to only me and Sage. When he reaches out and cups my cheek in his hand, I close my eyes to savor his touch.
    “This is life now,” he says, his voice a caress. “You and me. No one chasing us, no one stopping us . . . nothing in our way.”
    He leans in, and I lose myself in his kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer, breathing him in, this new scent I already love. There’s nothing else in the universe except thismoment, his lips, his body, his touch. When he pulls away, I keep my eyes closed, waiting for more.
    It doesn’t come.
    I open my eyes and see Sage sitting on the blanket eating his half of the frittata, a mischievous gleam in his eye. “Delicious. You should try it.”
    With a rueful smile, I sit across