“Hallucinating the most beautiful girl in the world,” he finishes for her.
“You two are cute, but I need you to focus. What didHannah’s exsay?” I clarify my question for Ruby but then hold my fist out to Nick. “Pulling out the rizz!”
Nick laughs as he bumps his fist against mine. “Stop stealing slang from Aidan.”
“Stop being so stupidly in love that everything that comes out of your mouth sounds like a line,” I toss back at him.
His only reply is to grin a little wider.
“I can’t remember exactly what her ex said in reply, but I remember she was disappointed. Though to be fair, by comparison of Nick and Jack’s responses, it would have been hard to not fall short.”
“Idiotic ex-boyfriend. Got it.”
“I did not say that,” Ruby says as if she feels the need to stand up for the guy.
“Any man that let her go is an idiot.”
“And you think I’m the one tossing out lines,” Nick mutters with a shake of his head.
It isn’t a line though. Which is maybe his point.
“Anything else?” I’m buzzing for more information.
“No, I don’t think so…” She trails off with that thoughtful expression again. “She was really nice though. I liked her a lot. And her arms are the reason I started doing push-ups every day.”
“You’re perfect.” Nick lowers his head to place a quick kiss on her lips.
I turn my attention away from them and back to Hannah. Two guys stand at the edge of the table, partially blocking my view. I can’t make out whether or not she’s smiling, but her body language has shifted. Instead of erect and confident, she’s hunched in on herself.
I stand quickly, sending my chair screeching backward. “Introduce me.”
“I thought you already met her,” Ruby says, brows pinched.
“Yeah, but now you can vouch for what a good guy I am.”
“Can she?” Nick asks in a ribbing tone.
“Fuck off, Galaxy. You’re dead to me.” I still can’t believe he met her this summer. Months ago.
“Please?” I give Ruby my best pleading expression, complete with puppy dog eyes and pouty lip.
It works because she laughs and gets to her feet, albeit slower than I’d like.
“Fine. I want to say hi to her anyway.”
6
HANNAH
Kinsley can’t go anywhere without guys hitting on her. Case in point, the two who followed her back from the bar where she went to get drinks. I’m honestly surprised they stayed after realizing she was very taken and super not interested.
“You have to visit Florence,” one of the guys says, Brandon, I think. “But don’t spend too much time in the city center. It’s cool to see the architecture and history but there are so many more great local spots if you venture farther out.”
I can’t remember how they got on the topic, but he and Skylar have been talking about Italy for the past ten minutes. Brandon’s friend, Ezra, catches my eye and smiles. I give him a polite smile back before looking away, then dip my head and place a hand over my mouth to hide a yawn. It isn’t completely their fault (although Italy isn’t among my top conversation topics). It’s several hours past my usual bedtime and all the self-loathing of the past few days has made me more tired than usual. The increased intensity of my training probably has something to do with that too.
Whatever the reason, I’m grateful when a familiar face appears beside Brandon. I sit straighter and my mouth opens in surprise.
“Ruby?”
