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“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking about the musical.”

“Of course. What else could you possibly be thinking about?”

I don’t meet his eye. For once, the musical is the last thing on my mind. “You’re one to talk, Mr. D&D.”

“Oh, please, I have a ton of things on my mind. D&D, Magic, Warhammer.” He ticks them off on his fingers. “I may even have a few Monty Python quotes rolling around in there.”

I try to smile and walk to the back room. Anthony and John are at our usual table, but I’m surprised that Lucas is missing. I glance around the room, but there’s no sign of him. And no Hoshiko either. I look at my phone in case she’stexted to say she’s running late, but there’s nothing. Granted, she’s always running here from dance, but she’s usually good at telling me if something comes up. And Lucas is never late. I bite my lip—maybe they’re together? I send a quick text to check.

Nathan stands behind me, but a glance over my shoulder at him tells me he’s also noticed their absence. Just then, Sophia walks into the back room, looking like an ethereal fairy with her waves of red hair and a crown of fake flowers. The activity in the room slows as everyone stops to look at her. I’m sure she loves it.

I sense Nathan step closer behind me. He plays with my hair, smoothing it away from my face and down my back. It’s so calming that I have to school myself so I don’t purr like a cat.

“Are you leaving your hair down tomorrow?” he whispers.

I smile smugly. He keeps trying to find out what I’m wearing to homecoming, but Mom and I just found a dress two days ago and I’m keeping it a surprise. At least I can keep him in suspense about this.

“Possibly,” I whisper back. “Do you like it down?”

“Yes.” He gathers it up into a low ponytail and releases it.

“Interesting. I might put it up just to mess with you, then.”

“That’s cool.” His hands fall on my shoulders and then slide down the length of my arms. He leans forward so his chest presses against my back. “I like when you mess with me. I like everything you do with me.” His lips brush the back of my head and shivers run up my spine.

But instead of swooning at his words, I snap. It’s toomuch. I can barely hold it together when he touches me, but his words? It’s impossible to hear them, knowing he’s whispering in my ear because Sophia just walked in. I can’t take it anymore.

I swirl around, jutting out my chin. I know everyone is watching but I don’t care.

“You shouldn’t say things like that.” I pinch his arm.

“Ow!” His jaw drops open in shock. “You pinched me.”

“You deserved it.”

He blinks, clearly confused. Hesitantly, he beckons me farther away from the table, where I’m sure everyone is trying to eavesdrop with great delight.

“Hey, I’m really sorry. I didn’t realize I was crossing a line. I just…” His shoulders hunch and his expression is so full of concern and remorse that I can’t hold on to my anger. I look down at my feet.

“Tell me what to do,” he continues. “Or not do. Was it the hair? Or the kiss…”

I shake my head, abruptly feeling like I might cry. “I don’t know. It’s…weird when you say nice things like that to me. It’s too much.”

He straightens. “You don’t want me to say nice things?”

“I’m used to jokes. Or teasing. Just stick to those instead of lying.”

“I wasn’t lying. I love when you mess with me.”

He thinks he’s helping, but he’s really not. He’s only making thissomuch harder.

I look behind me. The entire table is staring at us, even John. Sophia’s eyes are narrowed like she’s appraising us.

I groan.

Nathan doesn’t seem to care what everyone else is seeing. He closes the small distance between us. “Do you want me to pull back?” he asks in a whisper. “Just tell me the rules and I’ll follow them.”

My stomach flips. The rules…