Page 30 of Wanna Bet?

His eyes warmed in a way that made her chest feel heavier, fuller, like something was expanding inside it that she didn’t trust. In her peripheral vision she caught movement from the other window and spotted Kaylee leaning just slightly too far to the side, clearly trying to overhear, which made Myah straighten a fraction and lean closer to Jace instead, lowering her voice so it wouldn’t carry.

“Can I ask you something?” she murmured.

He leaned in without hesitation, attention focusing on her so completely it felt like the rest of the world had dimmed around the edges. “Yeah,” he said.

She hesitated for half a second, suddenly hyperaware of how close he was, close enough that she could see the faint shadows under his eyes and the exact shade of his green irises, and she had to remind herself to speak before the silence stretched too long.

“Would it be weird,” she asked softly, “if I came by the record store tomorrow?”

The words sounded casual, almost offhand, but she felt the question settle into the space between them like something fragile. She was asking because it would be fun, because she was curious, because she liked music, because she needed a reason that wasn’t ‘I want to see you again’, and she held his gaze as she waited for his answer.

His expression shifted subtly, surprise flickering across it before something warmer replaced it. “I’d like that,” he said simply.

Relief brushed through her so quickly she almost didn’t recognize it, and she nodded once as if his response hadn’t mattered much either way.

“Cool,” she said. “Don’t make it weird.”

“I’ll do my worst.”

She snorted softly, and a car rolled forward behind him, reminding them both that the world hadn’t actually paused. He straightened, giving her one last look that felt steady and searching at the same time, and then he nodded toward the bag in her hand. “Eat,” he added gently.

Her throat tightened unexpectedly. “Bossy,” she said.

“Only for you,” he corrected, and then he turned and headed back to his car.

She watched him go, telling herself she was just keeping an eye on the line, telling herself she wasn’t tracking the way his shoulders moved or how he glanced back once before getting in. The second he drove off, Kaylee’s voice drifted over in a sing-song tone that meant trouble.

“So.”

Myah didn’t look at her. “No.”

“I didn’t even say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.”

Kaylee leaned against the counter, eyes bright with curiosity. “That looked suspiciously like flirting.”

“It looked like customer service.”

“With pastry deliveries?”

“He’s bribing me for better espresso shots.”

“Mhm.”

“Don’t mhm me.”

“I’m absolutely going to mhm you,” Kaylee replied cheerfully. “Especially since you still haven’t given me details about the park.”

Myah’s fingers paused on the lid she was snapping onto a cup, tension flickering through her chest as the memory resurfaced again, vivid and warm. “It wasn’t a date,” she said lightly.

“Oh?” Kaylee’s grin sharpened. “So the bet’s still on?”

Before Myah could answer, a new voice piped up from behind them. “Wait–what bet?”

She turned to see the new girl standing by the syrup rack, watching them with open curiosity, and irritation prickled faintly along her nerves when she realized she still didn’t know the girl’s name.

Fantastic. Audience acquired.