"Me neither, but Sophia loves them. Don't tell our parents."
I snort. "You think I'm talking to a demon King and Queen about what their daughter eats?"
He shrugs. "Maybe you've been sent to spy on us." He reaches out with his tail and snags a sandwich of some kind from a plate near the middle of the table.
"I'm not here to spy on you."
"I'm glad to hear it." He grins. "This is Philippe, by the way. I don't know if you've met." He gestures to the minotaur on his right.
I tear my gaze away from the prince in front of me, remembering that I'm supposed to be having a conversation with more than just him. "Hi."
Philippe nods in acknowledgement. "Hi." He goes back to eating his food, and I turn my attention to my own, sneaking a couple of glances at Archie as I do.
"So, any plans for the weekend?" Archie asks.
"I think that'll depend on how I'm feeling after the party on Friday," Sophia says. "You're going, right?" she asks her brother.
"Of course, I wouldn't miss the first party of the year." He looks at me, his gaze lingering a little longer than necessary. "What about you?"
I almost choke on my wrap, not having expected to be pulled into this part of the conversation.
"I hope so, she's how I got the invite," Sophia says before I can answer.
"I'm sure you'd have gotten one without me," I murmur.
She shrugs and goes back to her food, not seeming particularly bothered by whether that's true or not.
"So, the weekend?" Archie asks, looking right at me and ignoring the others at the table.
"I was just going to do some studying," I admit. "I want to make sure I know the basics before classes start."
"Maybe I can join you," Archie says.
Sophia gives me a curious look, but she doesn't say anything. Maybe she didn't expect him to actually keep his word, but I don't think that makes sense.
"Sure, sounds good." I smile at him. "I can meet you in the library at the same spot?" I suggest.
He nods.
"You're not getting my friend into trouble, are you, Archie?" Sophia asks.
"Even if he does, I'm good at not getting caught," I quip.
Archie laughs good-naturedly. "That's my trick too."
"He's not lying," Sophia stage whispers to me. "The list of things he's gotten away with by distracting Mum and Dad has to be a mile long at least."
"Pfft, because you weren't involved in any of them," he throws back at her, reminding me that they're twins in a way that even their physical similarities don't.
"I never said I wasn't," Sophia counters.
My gaze slips back to Archie, and I'm unable to stop thinking about the feeling deep inside that he's more than just a friend or a study partner. But I need to move slowly and make sure I don't get caught up in some magical bond that isn't something I want to control me.
Equally, I don't want to let something that could be good slip through my fingers, which means that I can't avoid him. I just have to try to be careful with my heart.
Chapter 5
LOTTIE
