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His arms tighten around my waist, pulling me back against him.

“You’ve never complained.”

My entire face goes hot.

“Oh my God,” Gianna says. “We are all sitting right here.”

“Unfortunately,” Eli adds.

I elbow Cal in the ribs, but he only laughs and drops his mouth close to my ear.

“You know I’m right, Doc.”

“Stop talking.”

“Why?”

“Because every time you open your mouth, you make this worse.”

He brushes his lips against the side of my neck.

“Thought you liked my mouth.”

“CAL.”

The fire crackles.

“Gross! Get a room!” Gianna complains.

Cal looks completely pleased with himself.

I turn back toward the fire, attempting to regain what little dignity I have left.

Behind me, his mouth brushes my ear again to whisper just for me.

“I can’t wait to be in a room alone with you.”

I bite down on my smile.

My phone buzzes, interrupting the moment.

I almost don’t look. I’m comfortable.

I look.

It’s the AAMC portal notification.

Your score report is now available.

I go very still.

Cal notices immediately, because of course, he does. He’s spent a semester learning me the way I made him learn the heart, chamber by chamber. His chin lifts off the top of my head.

“What’s up?” he whispers in my ear.

“My score’s out. My MCAT score,” I say, louder, to the fire, to all of them. “It just came out.”

The effect is instantaneous. Sydney drops a marshmallow directly into the flames and doesn’t even mourn it. Harrison sits up.