A collective gasp fills the room.
“No way,” Micah says, scanning the board and tracking the scores. Finn flips over three cards in front of him, revealing his extra points. “Well, damn. Good job.” He claps Finn on the shoulder.
“So, Spock.” I nudge him with my elbow as he helps put his pieces away. “Seems you’ve played this game before.”
He adjusts his glasses before turning to me with a raised eyebrow. “Spock? Really?” he asks, his stern voice making me grin.
“I like it.” I shrug.
Finn wears a playful scowl as he says, “Well, Cookie, if you must know, I was the Catan champion for Wilhelmina University. I held the title all four years of undergrad.”
His use of my so-called stripper name sends a bubbly thrill up my spine. “Is that a real thing?”
A pink flush creeps up his cheeks as he says, “I take board games very seriously. I’d never lie about that.”
“You mean to tell me I thought you werehereon the Nerd Scale.” I hold my hand flat just above the table. “But you’re actuallyhere.” I stand and put my arm up as high as I can.
Finn laughs and shakes his head. “I could tell you things that would make my rating even higher.”
I lean my elbow on his broad shoulder. “Oh, do tell.”
He’s so deliciously tall that, in this position, our eyes are almost level. His are like the dark blue sky that lingers before sunrise. His hair is in disheveled waves, and I wish I could run my fingers through it.
“I have to keepsomesecrets,” he says softly, his voice like velvet on my skin as his eyes connect with mine. My pulse skitters, and the air between us settles hot and heady.
When Finn and I lock eyes like this, I have the dizzying feeling that I’m lost and home all at once. I’m in unfamiliar territory and yet completely safe.
I realize the game cleanup has paused, and I drag my attention away from Finn to find everyone staring at us. Lena wears a satisfied smirk like she knows exactly what’s going on in my head.
Diego looks between us quizzically. “This”—he points to Finn—“is your... boyfriend, Millie?” he questions with his strong Spanish accent.
Chills flash over my heated body. I drop into my seat with a falsely bright smile. “Oh, no, just friends.” I shake my head incredulously. “Not together at all. Gosh, nowherenearanything like that. Like, we could never be!”
Surely I can make it true if I keep saying it. I can put us back on the safe side of that line I was sticking an arm over. I can remind myself we arejust friends.
I glance over at Finn, finding him biting his lips between his teeth to suppress his smile.
Lena shakes her head with a delighted grin, and Micah won’t make eye contact with me, his hand covering his mouth and cheeks. Emil snickers into his cranberry vodka.
Their expressions register, and my throat dries. It seems that after everything I just said, my best friends are acting like I just declared that heismy boyfriend.
My pulse pounds so loudly I can hear it booming through my body.
It feels like I just revealed every perfect thought I’ve ever had about Finn. I don’t know where I went wrong, but I need to put it all back and undo it.
The first thing I think of blurts from my lips.
“I have a date on Saturday.”
Finn’s head snaps in my direction, dark eyes searching my face. He wears his trademark Finn scowl that used to be the only expression I got from him, and my breath stalls in my lungs.
“With... Finn?” Diego asks.
I bark a laugh to cover my tracks. “No. Not with Finn. Someone else.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. I don’t want to dig this hole deeper, but my mouth keeps moving before my mind can catch up.
Lena puts her chin on her hand and blinks at me across the table. “Who do you have a date with?”
