Behind me, Poppy made a sound that was somewhere between a squeal and a cough. I gave her a look sharp enough to cut glass.
“Yeah,” I said quickly. “Just finishing up.”
Tino glanced past me at the duffle bag on the floor. “Is that it?”
“Uh, yeah.”
He nodded, stepped inside, and—without hesitation—grabbed the handle.
“Wait, I can—” I started, but he was already slinging the bag over one shoulder like it weighed nothing.
“Got it,” he said simply.
Poppy’s eyes were darting between us like she was watching a live episode of her favorite show. “Wow,” she said faintly. “Chivalry isn’t dead.”
Tino grinned at her. “Some of us were raised right.”
“Good luck this weekend,” Poppy said in a singsong voice. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”
“Goodbye, Poppy.”
Tino laughed under his breath as we stepped into the hallway. “She’s subtle.”
We made our way down the hall together. His stride was unhurried, casual, like this was the most normal thing in the world—him carrying my duffle bag, walking beside me through the quiet dorms.
“Whose car is that?” I asked as he led the way toward a dark green sedan that definitely wasn’t his.
“Mako’s,” he said. “He doesn’t drive much but his parents like for him to have a car here, so I managed to convince him to let me use it for the weekend.”
He stopped by the trunk and set my duffle bag down gently, brushing his hands off. “I haven’t driven in a while,” he admitted, glancing at the car like he was still getting used to the idea.
I raised an eyebrow. “That’s comforting.”
He smirked. “Don’t worry, I’ve still got it.”
“You ‘still’ have it? When was the last time you drove?”
He opened the trunk. “Sometime over the summer. Maybe Canada Day?”
I crossed my arms. “So, you’re telling me you haven’t driven in five months, and now you’re taking me on a three-hour road trip?”
He grinned. “You scared?”
“No.”
“Liar.”
I glared at him, but he just looked amused. The worst part was he knew I wasn’t actually worried about the driving. I was worried about being stuck in a car with him for three hours. Alone. With no friends to deflect the teasing or rescue me from my own thoughts.
“I’m just thinking about how if you crash, I’m haunting you.”
He opened the passenger door for me, smirking. “Deal.”
The tiny gesture—holding the door open—shouldn’t have mattered. It was nothing. Just Tino being polite. But something about it made my chest tighten anyway.
I climbed in, and he leaned down slightly, resting one hand on the roof. “You comfy?”
“Mh-hmm.”
