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Unless … Unless Jake’s already told himso muchabout me, I need no introduction? Maybe he’s gushed about me non-stop to all his new pals and I’m ‘the girl Jake has a crush on’, or at least ‘the girl Jake doesn’t realize yet that he has a crush on, but he won’t shut up talking about her and it’s obvious to everyone’.

Yeah. Yeah, that’s it. It’s got to be.

This is the classic friends-to-lovers story; I know how it goes. It’s like inThe Duff– he’s my Robbie Amell and just needs to see me in a new light, that’s all! I force myself to relax, to pay attention as Jake carries on talking, now waving a hand in Max’s direction, his arm still slung round his shoulders.

‘Cerys – this is Max. He’s at my new college. Remember, I’ve told you about that guy in my physics class, I met him at football earlier this summer whenI switched teams after the move? This is him! And get this – he’s ahugeOWAR fan, too! Talk about serendipity, huh?’

‘Really?’ I say dryly, and let my eyes skirt over the cosplay again. I can’t help it. Even his trousers aren’t, like, just normal trousers. Where do boys evengetleather trousers? ‘I’d never have guessed.’

‘And you’re the newbie,’ Max says. His voice is lower than I was expecting. Slower. He soundsbored, which is a very nice way to treat his new friend’s best friend. He clearly did not choose to take the high road, like I have. What an ass.

But if this is the kind of guy Jake wants to be friends with – if this is what he bonds with people over, the sort of thing he loves … it just drives home the genius of my plan: get into the fandom to spend time with him.

I’m not about to let Max steal my friend. I’m not going to beusurpedby some guy who wears wrist guards and a blonde wig out in public. Especially not one who has the audacity to somehow still be smirking at me. Is he trying to go for the world record, or am Ithatmuch of a joke to him?

I must be staring (glaring) at him too much, because he adds, ‘So Jake was telling me you’re pretty new to the fandom?’

If that’s his attempt at an olive branch, it’s a fail. He only succeeds in sounding snarky.

I need to get a hold of myself. I can’t stoop to this guy’s level and be as judgemental as him. I need to prove myself to Jake, not risk this distance between us widening more than it already has. I paste on a smile, shrug my shoulders back and shift my weight to one hip in a more visibly relaxed posture – pointedly mirroring Jake’s body language.

‘Yes. Yeah! Well, sort of. I’ve heard plenty about OWAR from this guy here.’ I giggle, giving Jake a playful shove.See, look at me, using the lingo, calling it ‘OWAR’!Jake laughs, too, and winks at me. My stomach flutters with butterflies.

‘I’ve been trying to get Cer into it for ages, man – and she finally caved! Couldn’t resist the ol’ Jake Wandsworth charm, huh?’

‘Oh, don’t you know it.’ I give him another little push, right on the bicep. Between that and the eye contact, it’s a total Moment. Then, to really drive home my commitment to this thing (and to Jake), I tell Max, ‘I don’t know why I put it off so long, it looks so interesting. I bought all the books last week. Jake thinks I should start with the show, then read the books, but it’s always better the other way round, right?’

‘Hmm, it depends. The books are pretty dense, especially the first one. Things don’t really get going until book three. I think the show’s probably more accessible if you’re not huge on fantasy … Kind of like withGame of Thrones, you know?’

‘Oh, for sure.’ I nod, despite the grand sum of my knowledge being that some guy called Ned Stark dies in, like, the first episode, and people really love Pedro Pascal’s character.

I may be way in over my head here.

‘Cerys is more of a romance gal. You know,She’s the Man,To All the Boys …I gotta say, she talked me into watching that one, but that series wasso good. But, yeah, you’re not usually that into fantasy stuff, are you?’ Jake adds, turning to me.

Oh, ye of little faith.

‘That changes today!’

Max is giving me another very mean, very unimpressed look, but manages to say, ‘Well, OWAR’s got something for everybody. You’ll be a Silversmith shipper before you know it.’

My smile freezes on my face. ‘Um, right. Sure.’

Shipper?What, like, rooting for a fictional couple? It’s not a romance show, is it? Jake would’ve told me if it was.

Jake, though, is laughing, turned away from meonce more. ‘As if. I keep telling you, man, those two are not endgame. Everybody’s wasting their time with them. Cerys will agree, I bet, just you wait and see. Now come on, I amnotmissing this panel.’

He grabs each of us by the arm, propelling us towards the mass of people near the curtained-off section. The last panel is over, and people are flocking out while we join the entrance queue.

Jake hops on his toes, grinning from ear to ear, and it’s so adorable that my heart gives a longing little squeeze. His excitement is so infectious that even though I have zero attachment to this show, I’m suddenly looking forward to hearing people talk about it.

Max ends up standing behind me, which is ideal because it means I might be able to not-really-but-actually cut him out of conversation to have a little one-on-one hang time with Jake, as planned.

I’m trying to think up the best topic of conversation – not college, and not how practice with his new football team is going, but maybe something about the gang from school? Something only the two of us can talk about – when Max clears his throat, suddenly standing just a little bit too close.

‘You know, if you really want to get involved in the fandom, Cerys, there’s a Discord channel that’s great. They’re pretty welcoming to newcomers.’

Maybe you could take a leaf out of their book, I think, glancing over my shoulder at him.