I toss my phone onto the marble counter and pop an espresso pod into the machine. I can feel Panther’s eyes on me, tracking my every movement.The fuck am I supposed to say to her?“Whatcha making?”“Pancakes.”She hums in approval. “Can you make mine with strawberries?”I glance at her over my shoulder. “It doesn’t mix in well with the soufflé mixture.”“Really?” She gives a dramatic pout, drawing my attention to her lower lip. “That sucks.”I can think of something I want her to suck.Fuck.No.I drag my eyes away and turn my head back so she doesn’t fill my vision anymore.This is not cool.I reach into the fridge and grab the small carton of strawberry milk I bought yesterday, opening and pouring it into a glass mug before dumping the fresh espresso in. I take a metal straw to swirl everything together and then slide the glass across the island to Panther, avoiding any direct eye contact.“Here.”She blinks at the glass for a second before taking it between her hands. “How’d you k

Mm. Nope.I want zero part in whatever is happening.Taking a deep breath, I sit up straight and allow a tight smile to thread across my face as I raise both hands to wave them side to side in a “no thank you” gesture.Our silent exchange is blissfully interrupted as our waitress returns to our table.“Hi, can I get either of you anything else tonight? One last drink, maybe?”“No!” The word basically catapults out of my mouth, stunning the woman. Shit. I soften my face and give her a placating smile. “Sorry, no. We’re good. Just the check, thank you.”The woman nods her head, collecting our empty plates. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”I refuse to look back at Herson’s booth. Instead, I busy myself by grabbing my handbag and sifting through it for one of my credit cards.“Panther.”“Yeah?” I chance a glance over at Lee, who has gone stock-still.“They’re coming over,” she whispers through gritted teeth.“What?” I’m torn between looking over and throwing my body under the table. “What do y

“Hey, just wanted to let you know I’m popping out for a bit. Ya know, in case you can’t find me and think I’ve been kidnapped by mafia men who helicoptered onto the roof to sell me for ransom.”I swivel around in my gaming chair to stare at Panther. She has one hand braced on my doorframe, the other on the handle, as she leans the top half of her body into my streaming room. A fluffy white purse hangs from one of her elbows, and her pink hair is styled in two elaborate space buns with two small braids framing the front of her face.I want to tug on those braids, see that frustration light up her eyes. The same frustration I saw last night when I pulled her into my date.“Where are you going?”“Nail salon.” She releases her grip on the handle and proceeds to wiggle her fingers at me. “They’re too long and messing with Parker’s keyboard. I was hoping to delay it a little longer, but I’m going to go nuts if I keep accidentally hitting the W key every time I go to tap S.”“Okay, give me a

“Currently, I only have a month left until the concert, so I’m a little pressed for time to win those last two hearts from Aidan. The issue is, I can’t focus all my time on him because if his bandmates hate me, it causes him to hate me as well. I learned that the hard way during my last playthrough—which I failed,” she sighs. “It’s why he is the hardest of the four to succeed with.”Panther tucks one of the small pink braids behind her ear before resting her elbow on my thigh, not bothering to hover anymore. At this point, her shoulder is nearly tucked under mine, and there is no discernable space between our bodies.She might as well just climb onto my fucking lap.I can barely focus on everything she is explaining, too caught up in the way her fuzzy sweater begins to slip off her shoulder, revealing a lacey pink bra strap and skin covered in a soft smattering of freckles that are barely darker than her skin color—you wouldn’t even notice them unless you’re this close.My eyes trace

“Yes, I am.” Panther places a hand on my knee.“No, she’s not.” I try to shake her off.The entire nail salon goes quiet.“Babe,” Panther playfully whines, her brows furrowed in a tease.Her smile wavers when she looks me directly in my eyes. I’m not sure what she sees written there, but it’s enough to bring a spark of concern to her baby blues. Her eyes dart between me and my aunt a few times as her smile slowly deflates. Panther removes her hand from my knee and spins back, returning her attention to Amy.It just makes everything look more weird, which Auntie An quickly picks up on.“I was wondering why none of your dates had been successful when your mother totes what a catch you are,” she crows. “Who’d have guessed you had a little girlfriend you were keeping secret?”“She’s not—”“Actually, that would add up with all your other secrets and lies.”My jaw clenches, grinding from side to side.I am so sick of everyone blaming me.And I am really sick of everyone trying to control my