Leah gave a laugh at Vienna's response, trying to ignore the tension in the sound. Sometimes even when you wanted to laugh, you couldn't manage it well when you were feeling off. “Come on, I've only got one unfair advantage over you in this and that's only because I've been doing this for years. You're a hell of a lot more flexible than I am right now. And trust me, being flexible comes with a lot of perks.”
She stretched her neck back, closing her eyes against the warm sunlight. “I'd say again that I didn't mind those photoshoots as much as I thought I would, but you'd probably use that as an excuse to make me do more of them, so maybe I should just keep my mouth shut.”
“That's good. I know I always find it to be a pain in the ass when I can't see eye-to-eye with my family. All the arguments we used to have made me feel like they'd have been better off without me, but we eventually found ways to communicate better. That's probably all you and Bea needed. A different way of communicating.”
When it came to giving advice, Leah never claimed to be an expert, but family was one of those things she felt like she understood, more or less. With Vienna, it was a combination of an older sister perspective as well as a friend perspective. Leah couldn't express what it meant to her that someone – a friend – was willing to confide these things in her.
Another jab of pain that wasn't quite pain shot through Leah's stomach, but the only outward reaction she gave was a sudden intake of air through her nose. “Coming from an older sister, I highly doubt that's how she sees it. She's not just putting up with you. You're her sister,” she added simply.
Leah hesitated when Vienna mentioned Bea's status with Brandon. Alghren had essentially condemned her for having a valid opinion, so she was reluctant to voice anything more than passing comments about whatever was going on. “I've been avoiding that subject myself,” she admitted after a moment, avoiding her friend's eyes. “My brother's had a lot of women in his life.” She left it at that. “But I can see where you'd be curious about it.”