I say nothing. We just stand like that. Then I clear my throat.
"Do you even remember what you’re supposed to say?!"
Gio takes a lazy sip from his drink and raises an eyebrow at me. "Rava. I’m not an idiot."
"I didn’t say you were."
Even though youare.
"You didn’t have to. You’re twitching like I’m about to set the place on fire."
Youcould.
"That’s not completely out of the question."
He smirks again. "Relax, I’ve got this. You made the slides. I’ll follow your lead. Don’t stress. We will kill it."
Right. Sure. It’s honestly cute how confident he sounds when I’m 99% sure he hasn’t even opened the damn file I sent him.
Hell, I don’t even know if heknowsI sent it. These thoughts are going to kill me. It’s not even that he doesn’t care.
Fine, whatever, let him live in his delusional chill bubble. It’s that I’m the one who’s gonna look stupid standing next to him if he screws up.
Me.
The one who actually stays up working while he’s sprawled on my bed. I look at his hand, and suddenly, Noah’s voice comes rushing back.
"You should kiss him."
"Just imagine it, her face when she sees it."
I hate my brain. I genuinely, wholeheartedly hate it. I can’t believe that thought even shows up right now, in this moment, in this setting. I don’t want to kiss him.
"Are you okay?" Gio asks.
"What?"
"You’re staring. At me. Like you’ve forgotten how to blink."
"I was—I wasn’t staring."
I force a scoff. "I was just wondering how your skin isn’t melting under all that perfume."
He grins, slowly. "You’re so sweet to me."
I cross my arms, trying to shut him out. Suddenly I feel that damn shift in the air.
"Boys," a voice calls. I turn and see her walking toward us in heels that click across the marble.
Claudia. Gio’s mother.
Elegant. Beautiful in that expensive, untouchable way.
I straighten up immediately. "Good evening, Mrs. Claudia."
She smiles faintly. "Rava. Always polite."
Her eyes shift to Gio, and something passes between them, a look. I don’t know what it means, but Gio notices it too.
