“You’re always welcome to come out with us,” Nico grins.
Ivy’s freckled cheeks flame scarlet. “Oh… thank you, Nico.”
“What are you studying, Ivy?” Isla asks curiously.
“Neuroscience.”
“Damn,” Nico whistles.
Ivy tries to shrug it off. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal?” Blake scoffs. “You’re working on your fucking Ph.D., Ives!” She turns to Nico. “She’s fucking brilliant, honestly.”
“That’s so cool,” Bet smiles.
“I agree,” Nico blurts to the laughter of our friends. Ivy just blushes harder.
She seems to only be nervous around Nico.
Interesting.
“So,” Cameron says, changing the subject, “next Friday is Halloween. We don’t have a game, and we don’t travel until Sunday. Z and I think we should have a team Halloween party in place of dinner.”
“Yes!” Isla shouts. “I’m so in.”
“Gonna find your sluttiest costume, Icy?” I tease.
“You know it,” she winks.
“You should come, Ivy,” Nico says nervously, and Cameron muffles his laugh.
“Maybe,” she replies softly. “I’ll see if I can.”
“You’re going,” Blake asserts. “You spend too much time working on that damn paper, Ives.”
“That paper is going to determine my future.”
“Well, if you can,” Nico interjects, “you should come by. We hardly ever see you outside the arena.”
“I’m only there to sing,” she shrugs. “I come by, do my job, leave, then go write my dissertation. My life isn’t very exciting.”
“All the more reason to come to the party.”
Nico holds Ivy’s gaze before she laughs lightly. “Okay, I’ll try. I’ll try to be there.”
Nico continues watching her with a dopey smile while the conversation continues, but Cameron leans over to whisper to me.
“For Halloween, would you rather dress asStar Warscharacters orThe Mighty Duckscharacters?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of dressing up as a demonic goose,” I smirk.
Cameron pinches my ass. “I will rip that costume off of you, Zhuri baby.”
I look at him playfully. “Aren’t you going to do that anyway?”
“Not in front of our teammates.”
“How about we look up costume ideas tonight?”
