Page 31 of Canned & Coated

Tanner huffs a laugh beside me, shifting in his chair. “You don’t hate mushrooms. You order them on pizza all the time.”

Milo points at him. “That’s because they’re cooked differently. Texture matters.”

“That’s not the point,” I say. “The point is you absolutely broke your arm. You still bring it up every time someone mentions playgrounds.”

Milo nods slowly, impressed. “Okay, so you’re saying one is true.”

“Yes.”

“And two?” he presses.

I hesitate. “You’ve… been to Canada.”

He scoffs. “That doesn’t count.”

“It literally does,” I argue.

“Three’s the lie,” I say. “You love mushrooms.”

Milo claps once. “Wrong. I hate mushrooms. Always have.”

I stare at him. “You ate them last week.”

“You love them,” he says. “And sometimes I deal with them. That’s not the same thing as liking them.”

There’s no edge to it. The words are easy, practiced fact.

He shrugs one shoulder. “I can hate something or not want something and still do it for you,” he says simply. “Because I want you to be happy.”

I blink at him, thrown for half a second, but he’s already leaning forward, shifting gears.

“Alright,” Tanner says, his eyes landing on me. “Your turn.”

“I don’t wanna go next,” I say immediately.

“That’s not fair. I went,” Milo adds.

“Barely. You didn’t even follow the rules.”

Tanner laughs under his breath. “I can go, if you prefer.”

My gaze lifts to him, and I clock it immediately. There’s something sharper in his expression than I’ve ever seen before.

His eyes crinkle at the corners, but it doesn’t soften him. If anything, it makes the intensity worse. His pupils are blown wide, swallowing the color, and that crooked, almost playful smile sits at odds with the way he’s watching me.

This is a bad idea.

A really bad idea.

Instead of shutting it down and being smart, I nod.

Tanner exhales, almost satisfied, and drags his palms over his thighs before leaning forward, elbows braced on his knees.

He holds up three fingers.

“One… my Jeep isn’t the same one from high school. It’s a near-exact replica.”

Milo snorts under his breath, but Tanner doesn’t look at him. His attention never leaves me.