I look around the canteen. “Can we eat somewhere else?”
“Of course. Wherever you want.”
He takes my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. We start walking toward the car, our steps echoing on the linoleum. The buzzing in my mind is already softening.
CHAPTER 51 – CASPIAN
Antonio thrusts his new notebook in front of my face. “Try it. Feel thetexture.”
“The texture hasn’t changed in the last two minutes.” I sound amused, but I secretly love his enthusiasm.
“It has all the best ones,” he marvels, inspecting the philosophers on the cover.
“Look, this is Socrates. For him, wisdom came from realizing you knew nothing.”
“That makes me extremely wise, then.”
He giggles. “I can pay you back,” he says, giving me the adorable, stubborn frown I’ve started to crave. “In small installments.”
“It wasn’t a loan, Antonio. It was a gift.”
“But it must have cost twenty bucks. Notebooks like these are expensive.”
“Still a gift. You want an ice cream?”
We step into the line, holding hands. The simple, public declaration fills me with pride.
Then, a judgment error I made in the past walks by. He slows when he recognizes me. His expression shifts from surprise to resentment when he clocks our joined hands.
“Jackpot.” His smile is forced.
I flinch at the word. Antonio stiffens.
“Sorry,” I say flatly. “Remind me who you are?”
The guy laughs. “Cute.”
When he realizes I’m not playing, his smile curdles into a malicious sneer.
“Jake. You fucked me so hard we almost broke the bedframe. Need more detail?”
Antonio lets out a hiss, sounding like a murderous teakettle.
Jake smirks at him, relishing the damage.
“Did you know about your boyfriend’s nickname? He’s famous.”
“Fuck off.” My voice is a low warning.
We’ve stepped away from the line, but people are staring, openly curious.
Antonio’s fingers curl in the hem of my shirt, his eyes flicking between us.
“Jackpot cashes out after one hit,” Jake adds.
I’m fucking done. I step into his space until he’s forced to look up.
“Just because I wasted an hour of my life on a little shit like you doesn’t give you the right to talk to my boyfriend like that.”
