"Savannah."
Her name left his mouth like gravel—rough, deliberate, like he’d said it a thousand times in his head before now.
She lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "Chase."
Mallory let out a low whistle. "Well, damn."
Savannah resisted the urge to kick her under the table.
Behind Chase, a guy she didn’t recognize leaned back in his chair, grinning likean instigator. "Well, this just got interesting."
Savannah’s eyes flicked to him, then to the sharp-eyed blonde beside him, smirking in amusement.
Jaxon gestured to the empty seats. "C’mon," he said.
Mallory shot Savannah a look before getting up and making her way over. Chase and Savannah followed.
Once they sat, the conversation took on a life of its own.
Mallory, completely unbothered, leaned forward, eyes dragging over Chase like he was a damn five-course meal. "Chase Montgomery, you have no right being this fine. What the fuck?"
Chase barely spared her a glance, but the smirk on his lips was undeniable. "Appreciate that."
Mallory shook her head. "No, seriously. You look like someone made a lumberjack and a Greek god fuck. What kind of skincare routine do you have? Or is the universe just playing favorites?"
Jaxon barked out a laugh. "Oh, I fucking love her."
Sara smirked, tilting her head. "Glad y’all came to sit with us. This kind of chaos is best experienced up close."
Jaxon flagged down the waitress. "I’ll buy the next round if you promise to either fight or fuck by the end of the night."
Mallory scoffed. "Oh, I like them."
Savannah groaned. "You’re unbearable."
Jaxon grinned, looking between her and Chase. "Well? You gonna speak, or just keep eye-fucking each other?"
Mallory nudged Sara. "So, are you two a thing, or does Chase always keep gorgeous company?"
Sara snorted. "God, no." She nodded toward Jaxon. "He’s pretty, but I have standards."
Jaxon gasped, pressing a hand to his chest. "You wound me."
Mallory cackled. "Oh, I’m gonna love you guys."
The conversation flowed, filled with teasing remarks, casual banter, and enough tension between Savannah and Chase to light the whole damn bar on fire. He was watching her, the same way he always had—like he was trying to figure out exactly how much space he was still allowed to take up in her world.
She hated how much she wanted him to take all of it.
Mallory lifted her drink, glancing between them. "You know, this is almostpainful to watch. Just putting that out there."
Jaxon nodded. "Agreed. There’s an entire war of sexual tension happening here, and we’re just innocent bystanders."
Sara smirked. "I feel like we should be placing bets on how this ends."
"Yeah," Jaxon agreed. "But do we bet on a screaming match or a backseat makeout session?"
Mallory snorted. "Why not both? Do it in reverse order for a little extra drama."
