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Josh gave us a knowing half-smile and a nod and kept chewing, eyes lingering on mine in silent question.

“Tell him to get his ass over here. I’ve a bone to pick with him, too.” Pri huffed, half-laugh, half-scoff, as she took another bite of a waffle.

M: It’s too late for me.

Save yourself. She’s out for blood…

I saw his chuckle from across the room as he swiped at his screen. He glanced at me again, then wiped his mouth on a cloth napkin, stood, and started towards us.

My pulse spiked, kicking up more nervous flutters in my stomach.

Before I was ready, a hand brushed over my shoulder. Then, his weight settled in the chair next to mine with an ease and confidence that both pissed me off and made my cheeks heat up.

“My ears were burning from across the room,” he teased, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, before spearing Pri a look.

“You done interrogating my girl, Pri?”

My girl.

My heart stumbled.

My head whipped around so fast, I gave myself whiplash.

Did he just—

“Good to see you, man,” he added, clasping hands with Mark.

Then, his fingers tapped the table absentmindedly, daring her to answer.

A soft chuckle dragged my attention to Pri’s eyes glinting with reluctant satisfaction, as if somehow—against all odds—he’d managed to say something intelligent.

She shook her head heavily and let out a weary, put-on sigh.

“Movie nerd… I should’ve known.” She chortled and wiped a stray tear of mirth out of her eye.

Josh gave her a lazy shrug and nudged my plate of untouched food closer.

I grabbed my fork and speared some egg into my mouth, tasting nothing. I was a furnace from the inside out, ears and cheeks the shade of the piece of tomato I tried to stab with a fork… and missed.

Josh’s hand slid to my knee, thumb drawing absentminded circles above it, each pass soothing my nerves a little.

He wasn’t even looking at me.

How did he know—

“You do know that’s all the school can talk about, right?” Pri drawled, smirk growing feline—in warning or congratulations, I wasn’t sure.

My knee jiggled, bouncing with nervous energy I couldn’t contain, before his hand squeezed it, the touch annoying in how effective it was.

“So?” he drawled, almost bored.

I blinked slow at my plate, mouth parting around a startled exhale, before I turned and gaped at him.

His head tilted towards me, enough to give me a glimpse of that infuriating smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Careful, Mia… wouldn’t want that jaw of yours hitting the floor.”

Prick.