“Mate.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, already moving again.
I make my way over, the noise of the crowd fading slightly into the background as I get closer, my focus narrowing until it’s just them.
“Hey,” I say, stepping in close.
“Hey,” she replies, her voice softer than the noise around us.
I don’t overthink it. I don’t hesitate. I lean in and kiss her. And for a split second I’m aware of everything else around us; the crowd, the noise, the fact that this is the first time I’ve done that here, in my world, in front of people who know me. But it doesn’t matter. Because she kisses me back just as easily. Just as naturally. And when I pull back, Hannah is staring at us like she’s just been handed the best piece of gossip of her life.
“Oh my God,” she says immediately. “We can finally talk about this.”
Freya laughs, a little breathless. “Hannah…”
“No, absolutely not,” she cuts in. “Do you know how hard it has been not to say anything while watching this unfold?”
I huff a quiet laugh. “You’ve managed.”
“Barely.”
She looks between us, eyes lighting up. “This is happening, then? Like… properly happening?”
Freya glances at me briefly before answering. “Yeah.”
Hannah claps her hands once. “I knew it.”
“Of course you did,” Freya mutters.
Theo appears at my side then, looking up at me with a grin. “Are you nervous?” he asks.
“Always.”
“You don’t look it.”
“That’s because I’m very good at pretending.”
Isla tugs at my hand. “You have to win,” she says seriously.
“Bit of pressure there, bug.”
“You will win.”
I smile. “Alright.”
Scott appears a second later, already halfway through a conversation with someone behind him.
“Oi,” he says, clapping my shoulder. “There you are.”
His eyes flick to Freya, then back to me, then to Hannah, and that smirk settles straight back into place.
“Right,” he says. “So this is her.”
Freya raises an eyebrow. “This is me.”
He grins. “I’m Scott.” He holds out a hand to Freya.
“We’ve met before, Scott.”
