That one hits deeper,but I don’t hesitate.
Me:You worry too much. I’ll see you at Kamden’s tonight.
I slipmy phone back into my bag before I can second-guess myself.
Kamden’s placesmells like beer and takeout the second I walk in.
“Wild!” he calls, clapping me on the shoulder. “Perfect timing.”
Amelia’s already there.
She’s leaning against the counter, laughing at something Kamden says, hair pulled back casually, wearing a soft sweater that looks innocent enough to fool anyone but me. When her eyes flick to mine, something electric snaps between us.
Just for a second.
Then it’s gone.
Mask on.
“Hey,” she says, calm. Friendly.
“Hey,” I answer the same way.
On the surface, it’s nothing.
Underneath? Everything is vibrating.
We sit around the small kitchen table, beer bottles clinking, Kamden talking about the game, about some idiot play from last season that still pisses him off. Amelia listens, smiling, chiming in like this is just another normal night.
Her knee brushes mine under the table.
Accidental.
Maybe.
I don’t move it away.
Neither does she.
Kamden doesn’t notice a damn thing.
At one point she reaches across the table to grab a napkin, her fingers grazing the back of my hand. Her touch is light, fleeting, but my pulse jumps like I’ve been shocked.
I take a long pull from my beer, forcing myself to breathe.
This is fine.
We’re fine.
Kamden gets up to grab more drinks, and Amelia leans closer, her voice low enough only I can hear.
“You’re enjoying this,” she murmurs.
I don’t look at her. “Aren’t you?”
Her lips twitch. “Hardly.”
When Kamden comes back, everything snaps back into place. Laughter, easy conversation, the illusion intact. But every time Amelia laughs, every time she shifts closer, every time her eyes meet mine for half a second too long, the heat builds.
