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Hair down. Minimal makeup. A dark green tank top tucked into high-waisted jeans. She’s laughing at something her friend is saying, fingers curled around a red solo cup, eyes bright.

She looks comfortable. Confident. Beautiful.

And then she spots me.

The laugh fades into something softer, more curious. Her lips curve. She lifts her brows like she’s daring me to say something smart.

I walk toward her.

“Hey, Little Fields,” I say.

“Jones,” she replies. “You brought backup.”

“Didn’t want you thinking I crash parties solo.”

She motions toward two women standing beside her. “These are my friends from law school, Lexi and Priya.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say, offering a hand.

Lexi smirks. “So… how do you two know each other?”

“I dated her sister in high school,” I say easily.

Mandy deadpans, “And now he lives ten feet from my front door. God help us.”

Lexi chokes on her drink. Priya’s eyes go wide. “Ohhh. This is that guy.”

Mandy shrugs. “Yep. That guy.”

I grin. “Nice to know I’ve been promoted from ‘what’s his name’ to ‘that guy.’”

“We’re big on titles,” Mandy says, sipping her drink. “Keeps the chaos manageable.”

Ethan swings by with a paper plate piled with pizza. “You hiding the good stuff in the kitchen, or is this it?”

“Depends,” Mandy says, tilting her head. “What are you looking for?”

“Alcohol. Gossip. Maybe a life lesson or two.”

Kira reappears and tosses him a bottle of hard cider. “Start with that. Then we’ll talk.”

Ethan raises the bottle. “You’re my new favorite person.”

“You’ll say that to everyone by the end of the night,” she calls back.

The energy is easy, loose, like the warm-up before a game. I drift beside Mandy, our shoulders almost brushing.

“Nice party,” I say.

She glances sideways. “Not too chaotic for you?”

“Not enough solo cups stacked into pyramids. But I’m managing.”

She smiles, soft but sly. “Give it time.”

James strolls over, balancing a plate stacked high with tortilla chips and a plastic cup overflowing with salsa. “This party’s missing one thing,” he says. “Chili cheese dip. But I’m willing to forgive that if someone points me to a karaoke mic.”

Priya laughs. “There’s no mic, but if you’re brave enough, I’m sure the windows will amplify your voice nicely.”