The room goes dead quiet for half a beat.
Then it explodes. Elijah actually has to drop the cable handles before he rips something, Liam nearly falls off the bench laughing, and Cody's on the floor wheezing.
I groan, dragging a hand down my face. "That's a low blow, man."
Kentaro just shrugs, smirk still glued in place.
I shake my head. "Alright, enough about my sex life — or my complete lack of one. That's not what we're here for. You idiots are supposed to help me get my girl."
They're still snickering, Liam wiping tears from his eyes like he just witnessed the roast of the century.
Luke finally chimes in, smirking. "Wait—does your girl even know you're still... you know... 'untouched'?" He laughs again. "Have you told her all those hookups were fake?"
"Yep," I say, nodding once. "Told her last week. But I don't think she bought it. Hell, I don't even think she believes I was in love with her back then—let alone that I still am."
"You can't really blame her," Elijah cuts in, calm as ever. "She spent years watching you bounce around with different girls, looking like you were living the playboy dream. That version of you's still stuck in her head, I bet. One talk doesn't erase all that."
"Trust me, I know." My voice dips, the weight settling in.
I huff out a laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. "I screwed up. Made her doubt me, doubt herself—and I've got a hell of a lot to fix. Whatever it takes, I'll prove to her that I only ever have eyes for her. That she's it. The only one I wanna be with."
I look at each of them. "So... any suggestions?"
Elijah wipes sweat off his forehead, then looks at me dead-on. "Well, for starters? You gotta cut off whatever deal you've got with Taylor. You can't chase Caroline while people think you're still with her. Makes it look like Caroline's the side piece. And that's the last thing you want."
"Obviously," I cut in fast, maybe too fast. "That's the first thing I'm gonna do actually."
My head flashes back to Caroline's face yesterday—how hurt she looked, even if she tried to play it cool. That image has been stuck on repeat ever since. If I want even the slightest chance with her, I've got to make it crystal clear: me and Taylor are nothing. Period.
Elijah gives me a slow, approving nod. "Good. Step one sorted."
"Step two..." Cody jumps in, grinning like he's got gold. "Public declaration of love."
The room collectively groans.
Liam's head flops back against the bench and makes a fake gagging sound, clutching his throat like Cody's idea is physically choking him.
Luke actually mimes sticking a finger down his throat.
Elijah pinches the bridge of his nose and mutters, "Oh, for God's sake."
Meanwhile, I'm perking up. "Actually... I kinda like that. Go on, tell me more."
Cody leans in, smirk all devious. "Okay, picture this: you go big—something so over-the-top no one can ignore it. Every bunny on campus instantly knows you're off the market, and it doubles as you staking your claim on Caroline."
Then he sits back with this slow, self-satisfied nod, clearly proud of himself. "And the cherry on top? Any dude eventhinkingof shooting his shot is gonna nope right out. 'Cause who the hell wants to compete with Zach Westbrook? That's basically social suicide."
And damn it—I actually like the sound of that.A lot.
All I can picture is Adam and his leech of an arm draped over my girl's shoulders like he had any right. My jaw tightens just thinking about it.
Still not over it, apparently. Probably never will be.
Public declaration? Yeah, sign me the hell up.
If it keeps Adam—or anyone else—five feet away from her, I'll rent a damn megaphone and start handing out flyers.
I point at Cody like a preacher spotting salvation, jabbing my finger so hard my arm's about to cramp. "Yes! Exactly! Finally—someone gets it. Genius. Absolute genius."
