Page 83 of Scout

Longing in his eyes.

I don’t say it out loud, but Juniper’s right—he is a prize. And I’m ready to earn it.

30

Scout

I’m halfwaythrough putting dishes away when Juniper walks into the room with that look on her face. The one that says she knows something I haven’t figured out yet.

She hops onto the counter like it’s her throne, snags a dish towel, and says, way too casually, “So… are we pretending you’re not back with your boyfriends, or are we just not talking about it?”

I blink. “Excuse me?”

She shrugs, all innocence and evil. “You’ve been smiling weird. That’s your tells-a-lot-but-doesn’t-want-to-talk-about-it face.”

“I don’t have a face like that.”

“You totally do.” She holds a cup hostage. “So? Are we going full denial or soft launch?”

I laugh, a little too loud. “First of all, what does soft launch even mean in this context?”

Juniper rolls her eyes. “It means you’re not posting them on Instagram, but you’re making heart eyes across the diner booth while eating fries.”

I hide my face behind a glass baking dish. “Oh my God.”

“Look,” she says, nudging me, “I don’t care what you call it. I just wanna know if I’m gonna have to see more googly eyes and awkward flirting. You’re bad at flirting, by the way. Like, embarrassingly bad.”

“Thanks for that glowing review.”

She snorts. “You’re welcome.”

I glance over at her. She’s smirking, but I see it—that softness in her eyes. That weird, careful glow of maybe. She’s rooting for me. For us. Even if she doesn’t fully understand what “us” means yet.

I’ve just finished wiping down the counter when my phone buzzes. It’s our group chat.

Xavier: Hey. No pressure. But if you’re free tonight… we’d love to see you.

I stare at the message longer than I need to. It’s not fancy. Not dramatic. Just honest.

Still, my stomach flips.

I don’t know what I expect anymore. Part of me wants to say yes without thinking. The other part remembers how I felt that morning—standing in the kitchen with half my heart in my throat, listening to them confess love that I didn’t think included me.

But then I think about Xavier dropping off groceries. About Kendrix sitting with Juniper in that hospital room when I couldn’t even breathe straight. About both of them showing up to court, slipping in quietly and not making a scene. About the way neither of them pushed—not at the courthouse, not after thethank-you text. Just… waited. Like maybe they’re learning me. Or maybe they already did.

I thumb out a reply.

Me: Depends. Is this a trap?

It’s a joke. Sort of.

But also... not really.

I’m not sure I could survive another wrong turn with them.

The dots appear instantly.

Xavier: No trap. Just... wanna see you. No pressure.