Piper goes completely still.
“Is that?—?”
She nods, eyes fixed on them like they’re an approaching storm.
Miles spots us almost immediately. His gaze slides from Piper to me to the space between us, calculating. He steers Harper our way with the confidence of someone who’s never been rejected.
“Showtime?” I murmur.
Piper’s hand finds mine—cold, slightly shaky. “Yeah.”
I lace our fingers together properly and pull her closer. Her hand may be cold, but her grip is firm. Like she’s made a decision, and she’s sticking to it.
“Pipes! Hey!” Miles’s voice is aggressively cheerful. His eyes lock on our joined hands. “And this must be Ian, right?”
Ian? Seriously?
Something about this guy immediately sets my teeth on edge. Maybe it’s the way he called her ‘Pipes’ like he owns her.Maybe it’s how he’s looking at our joined hands like he wants to set them on fire.
“That’s me. But it’s Ethan, bro.” I shift slightly, angling my body between him and Piper.
Oh, now I’m invested.
15
PIPER
Miles’s eyes track from our joined hands to Ethan’s face. His jaw ticks.
“Didn’t realize you two were... together,” Miles says, and there’s definitely a question buried in there.
“We’re keeping it low-key,” I manage, hating how my voice comes out smaller than intended. Being around Miles always makes me shrink—like I’m still freshman year Piper, debugging his homework at 3 AM and pretending I don’t want to kiss him.
“Right.” Miles’s gaze shifts to Ethan, assessing. “Didn’t know you were into the jock type, Pipes.” He grins like we’re sharing an inside joke. “No offense, bro. We go way back.”
Ethan’s hand tightens around mine, but his smile is pure performance. “None taken, man. I’m proud of being athletic.” He straightens slightly, flexes just enough to make his point.
Harper’s eyes go wide. “Oh, wow. Do you still play?”
“Nah, injured out. But I kept the muscles.” He winks at her.
My jaw goes slack.
Is this happening? Are they seriously doing this rightnow? Miles’s ears turn pink and he puffs out his chest a little, like that’ll make him taller. It doesn’t.
“I’ve been hitting the gym too,” Miles says. “It’s good to stay in shape, you know.”
I have literally never seen Miles in a gym. Ever. The closest he’s gotten to exercise is aggressive typing.
“Totally,” Ethan agrees, voice dripping with fake enthusiasm. “Hey, what do you bench?”
“Oh, you know...” Miles waves vaguely. “I don’t really track numbers.”
“Smart. I’m up to 250, but who’s counting?” Ethan grins. “Piper spots me sometimes. She’s stronger than she looks.”
I’ve never spotted anyone in my life. I don’t even know what that means. But the way Miles’s face tightens makes me want to play along.
“Yeah, I’m very... supportive,” I manage.
