Eli leans back, smirking. “To be fair, if I had a partner who looked like that, I’d stare too.”
Logan turns that grin on him, but his gaze flicks right back to me. “Appreciate it, Starling.”
“Don’t encourage him,” I mutter.
“Who, me?” Logan’s voice dips, teasing. “I’m just trying to make friends, Captain.”
“Try less.”
Peter snorts. “Yeah, good luck with that. Once Starling latches on, he doesn’t let go. He followed me on every social before practice even ended last year when he was a rookie.”
Daniel elbows him. “He followed everyone. Equal opportunity stalker.”
Eli grins. “Says one of the guys who helped me stalk Max, thank you very much.”
“Worked out for you, didn’t it?” Daniel fires back.
Logan chuckles, leaning an elbow on the table. “Guess I picked the right team. Seems like everyone here’s got experience chasing what they want.”
That earns a round of laughter, but it dies quickly when his eyes slide back to me.
“Good thing I’m persistent,” he adds, voice low enough that it barely makes it across the table.
I stab another fry into my ketchup, trying to pretend my pulse isn’t spiking. “You’re also annoying.”
“Mutually exclusive qualities,” he says easily.
Daniel groans, leaning back. “God, the sexual tension is killing me.”
Eli shoves his shoulder. “Stop narrating it.”
Peter raises his glass. “To surviving another year of locker-room drama.”
“Cheers,” Daniel and Eli say together, clinking their waters.
I keep my eyes on the table, pretending not to notice Logan watching me over the rim of his coffee cup—like he’s already playing a game I never agreed to join.
And I hate that I can feel myself losing.
Because when he finally looks away, I have to fight the urge to look right back.
The waitress reappears before the table can spiral into another round of teasing. I glance up long enough to catch the name on her tag—Janine—before looking back down at my fries. She’s worked here for years, and I don’t think I’ve ever been observant enough to actually read her name. I’m sure Peter has, though, which is ironic.
“You boys ready to order?” she asks, pulling a pen from behind her ear.
Daniel grins. “Grilled cheese, curly fries, Coke.”
Eli brightens. “Turkey club—extra pickles—and, uh, can I get a slice of that chocolate cream pie too?”
Janine laughs. “You sure you don’t want dessert after lunch, sweetheart?”
Eli shakes his head, completely unbothered. “Nope. Why wait for the good stuff?”
Peter groans. “You’re gonna lose all your teeth before playoffs.”
Daniel snorts. “Man orders pie like it’s a food group.”
Eli shrugs. “Consistency builds character.”
