Luke ignores me and lifts a finger. “Turn your head.”
“Luke—”
“I said turn.”
I groan and tip my head slightly to the side, instantly regretting it.
“Bingo.” He gasps, clutching his chest. “Is that a hickey on our precious ice prince?Scandalous!”
Ty whistles low. “Damn, Shaw. Didn’t know you had it in you.”
“I—okay, chill,it’s not—” I rub the back of my neck. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” Luke gasps. “Not a big deal?That looks like someone tried to brand you. Who is it? Do we know them? Are they hot? Did they leave teeth marks anywhere else?”
“Stop talking,” I mutter, walking faster.
Daniel’s wheezing beside me. “Dude, this is the best walk to class I’ve had all semester.”
Will just grins. “You know he’s not gonna let this go, right?”
“Not ever,” Luke confirms cheerfully. “I’m emotionally invested now.”
“Cool,” I mutter. “Love that for me.”
“Blink twice if it was someone on the team,” Luke stage-whispers. “Blink three times if it was someonehotterthan the team.”
I shoot him a death glare. “I’m not into guys,” I lie.
He just laughs.
The worst part of it all is I’m still grinning.
My cheeks hurt, my stomach’s doing that annoying flippy thing, and my chest feels warm and full, like it’s brimming with a secret too good to tell.
Because Idohave one.
And even if I can’t say it…It feels really damn good to have something worth protecting.
Danieland I push through the science building doors with two minutes to spare, both of us still half-laughing from whatever joke Luke shouted after us across the quad as he left.
"Bet you five bucks you hum through the whole lab," Daniel says as we head down the hall toward Chem. "You’ve got that dazed, post-orgasm, Disney prince energy happening right now."
"I do not," I grumble, tugging the hood of my hoodie upover my head, even though I know the hickey is already a lost cause.
"You do," he says, bumping his shoulder into mine. "Seriously, dude, I’ve never seen you this…floaty. It’s unnerving."
"Sorry my good mood’s an existential crisis for you," I shoot back.
He just grins, clearly enjoying every second of this.
Inside the lab, we grab our usual spot near the middle bench, as the TA starts their monotone lecture on today’s experiment. Something about titrations and reaction rates. I’m not listening. Not really.
Because I promised I’d text Logan when I got to class.
I drop my bag beside me, tug out my notebook, and pull out my phone.
And then I realize…we never exchanged numbers.
