“And you havezeroability to take anything seriously.”
Troy grins, slow and sharp. “I’m kinda scared of you, Greer.”
“Good.” I lean in closer, meeting his gaze head-on.
We glare at each other, a silent battle of wills, neither of us blinking. Another long, loaded silence.
I sigh.
He drags a hand down his face.
“Fuck it,” I mutter.
“Yeah, fuck it,” he echoes.
We clink our glasses together and just like that, we’re partners.
We leave Moe's together,the night air hitting us like a slap after the bar's sticky warmth. Troy zips up his jacket as I wrap my scarf tighter around my neck. The temperature's dropped since we went in.
“Well, well. Greer and Hawkins. Didn't think I'd see this pairing.”
Jared Winters. All smug grin and swagger, his expensive coat unbuttoned like the cold doesn't touch him. Right beside him is Riley Sanders. Hands in his pockets, chin tipped slightly up, wearing that same cocky smirk he's had since first year.
Great.
“Jared,” I say, keeping my tone neutral.
“Delilah,” he drawls, eyes raking over me. In truth I was sort of into him at the party, until he started licking his lips and I couldn't decide if I still liked him or not. I was grateful when Troy butted in, but he's still attractive. And he has an arm full of tattoos which I like. “Didn't realize you and Hawkins were a thing.”
“We're not,” I say quickly. “It's for FIDIC. That's it.”
Jared raises a brow. “Funny. So are we.”
I blink. “You're in the competition?”
Is every hot-popular guy just super smart now? Have I transported to some alternate universe?
Riley cuts in, voice smooth. “We're a team. I'm sorry again that we couldn't make it work, Delilah.”
“It's fine,” I mutter, biting the inside of my cheek.
Troy shifts beside me. Not toward me—toward Jared. His jaw is tight.
“I'm glad you finally found a partner, Troy-kins,” Jared says with a smirk. “It's not easy out there, man. People want to pair up with people they know can add value.” He laughs and bumps Troy's arm like it's a joke, but Troy's sneer is more pissed than funny.
“Yeah. Luckily, I've got Delilah,” Troy says, his voice hard. “She's a fucking incredible architect and knows a thing or two about machines. I think we're going to win easily, to be honest. But you guys still try, of course.”
I glance at Troy, surprised by the fierce defense.
“Oh, we will,” Jared says with a shrug. “We don't need that grant, but this one's personal.”
“Oh?” I tilt my head.
“Can't let you two win, now can we?” He glances between us, and there's something calculating in his eyes. “It's more fun this way.”
“You two should be worried. We’re laser focused.” I step in, finding myself wanting to defend our still-new partnership.
Beside Jared, Riley doesn't blink. “We're not worried,” he says. “Troy's a solid party invite. But innovation? I'm not so sure.”
