“No,” he cuts me off. “I’m fine. Let’s keep going.”
He pulls another card from the jar while Will continues ranting about his battle with Maggie. I open it. “Vincent.”
I glance up. He’s already watching me, his gaze flicking between me and Steven like he’s trying to figure something out.
“Vincent versus...” Steven hands me the next note. I unfold it. “Me.”
Vincent accepts another chip from Sam and flashes me a crooked smile. “You rigged the cards so we’d do the panda choreography together, didn’t you?” he jokes.
I laugh. “You caught me.”
He doesn’t usually crack jokes, but when he does, it’s almost always for my sake. He’s not particularly good at sarcasm, which is exactly why it always makes me laugh. Somehow, he always knows how to cheer me up—even when I don’t realize I need it. I didn’t think I was sad, but he sensed something before I did.
I burst out laughing, and he joins in. The joke itself was terrible, but our reaction makes the others laugh too. Will burst out laughing, Sam’s watching us with his ever-present grin, Maggie’s trying not to smile, and Steven pats my side.
“So, that leaves just you and me, Stevie?” Sam asks.
My boyfriend snorts, raking a hand through his blond hair. “Unfortunately.”
Sam dunks another chip into his ice cream and leans back with a smug smile. “I already love you too.”
“Too bad nobody here wants you—except Nova,” Maggie mutters, tossing a pillow at his face.
Sam catches it midair and tucks it behind his head. “Not polite to hit a man with glasses, Evangeline. Anyway, I give you two months.”
Vincent tilts his head, curious. Steven just mutters something about sunglasses being as useless as Monopoly money in a supermarket.
“Two months for what?” Vincent asks.
Sam smirks. “For you to fall in love with me.”
Today he’s ditched his usual elegant shirts look for jeans and a green T-shirt—but of course, the leather jacket’s still with him.He never goes anywhere without it, even in summer, though he never actually wears it. He’s always been a little extravagant.
Maggie rolls her eyes. “Fall in love withwhat, exactly? Your money? You may as well shove it up your as—”
Classic Margaret Torres: never one to mince words.
Sam cuts her off smoothly. “With my personality, obviously.” He grins. “Besides, the money’s my parents’. The only thing I can offer you personally is a coupon for three cheese naans for the price of one at the Indian place down the street.”
-*?? . ??? ? ?.-*??
“Can we watchNanabefore we go to sleep?” I ask.
Steven chuckles under his breath and nods. “Only if we continueBlack Clovertomorrow.” he adds.
We’re curled up on the couch while Maggie and Will argue about which characters they should pick for the Just Dance choreography. The dark circles under Steven’s eyes are deep, and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t quite stifle his yawns. He and Sam were the first to compete earlier, with Sam crowing victory, of course.
“You can sleep in my room if you’re tired,” I whisper.
He hesitates. “Are you sure? The night isn’t over—”
I nod quickly. “Yes. You’ve got a check-up in the morning, so maybe it’s bett—”
“I’m aware,” Steven cuts in sharply.
The way he pulls back from me—like he always does whenever the topic comes up—makes me flinch.
“Sorry, I...” I lean forward to catch his hands, but he hesitates. “I didn’t mean to pressure you. I just wanted to help since you’re busy and—let’s not fight, please,” I murmur.
