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“Are you planning on telling me why you were so adamant about meeting for dinner?” I ask Mack once we’re seated at our table.

As expected for a Saturday night, Static is packed. This place and BurgerBliss are the go-to spots before people hit the strip of bars or one of the many off-campus parties.

I scan the area for Bear, but her familiar golden halo of hair is nowhere to be found.

Since our date, or ‘business meeting’ as she insists on calling it, a few days ago, we’ve been texting back and forth.

I asked her if she wanted to get together under the guise of discussing the project, but she said she had to work tonight.

Thankfully, Mack unknowingly came through by asking to meet up. Static was his idea, but I sure as shit didn’t mind knowing Bear would be here too.

“Yes, I need answers, Marino,” Mack says, and I shift in my seat to give him my full attention. “We kicked Emberwood’s ass, and I’m still waiting for you to tell me about the leggy blonde who was wearing your hoodie.”

Right. I’ve avoided this topic for days, but I guess time’s up.

I raise a brow. “So, you’re forcing it out of me by luring me to a fake dinner date?”

“No, dickhead, I’m wooing it out of you by getting you to meet me for dinner. And we’re eating, nothing fake about it.”

“Fine, but can I at least look at the menu first?” I grab the laminated card off the table and scan the various options.

“You already know it by heart,” he mutters, plucking it from my hands.

“Only because your ass has been so persistent about eating here all the time. What’s up with that, anyway? Didn’t realize you were such a fan of this place.”

Since returning from summer break, Mack has insisted on eating here whenever we decide to grab a bite. Sure, the food’s good, but he won’t even consider going elsewhere.

“What’s not to like?” He shrugs, fiddling with the salt and pepper shakers on the table. “Good food, affordable, and cute servers.”

Speaking of servers, I notice Macy walking up to our table over Mack’s shoulder. I thought she looked oddly familiar at the party, and now I realize it’s because I’ve seen her around before but never connected the dots.

Her narrowed gaze burns into Mack’s back the closer she gets. Huh. That’s not the usual reaction he gets from girls.

“Hi, Levi,” Macy says before glaring at my best friend. “Levi’s friend.”

Mack shifts in his seat and mumbles a quick hello.

“What can I get you guys started with?” Flipping open the notepad in her hand, she taps the pen, keeping her eyes glued to the paper.

A strange tension lingers in the air, and when the silence stretches on, I quickly jump in with my order since it’s clear Mack isn’t going to speak up.

“Water for me, and we’ll have the guacamole and chips to start.Thanks.”

Once she has it written down, she stiffly turns to Mack, tight-lipped, and waits for his response.

Mack runs a hand through his hair, almost like he’s… nervous?

“I’ll have a root beer float,” he mumbles, causing Macy’s hazel eyes to narrow into tiny slits.

“We don’t have that on the menu.” There’s a hint of boredom in her tone, but how she’s gripping the pen in her hand is worrisome. She looks like she is contemplating stabbing him with it.

The fuck?

I give him a questioning look, but his attention is solely on Macy. I feel like I’ve stepped into a parallel universe. One where Mack drinks root beer floats, and his charm is resistant to females.

His following words earn him a glare from her. “I know you have it.”

“Non-menu items aren’t for customers,” she says through gritted teeth. “So, what’s it going to be? Root beer or ice cream?”

Mack laughs, the sound coming out awkward and forced

“Fine, Coke is good. Thank you.”

Without another word, she turns and leaves.

“What the hell did you do to piss her off?” I say, watching Macy stalk off in the direction of the kitchen.

“Nothing,” he waves me off like it’s no big deal.

Having had front-row seats to whatever that was, it seemed very much like a big deal. And something tells me we won’t see her for the rest of the night.

My suspicions are confirmed when someone else brings us our drinks.

“That didn’t look like nothing,” I say, refusing to let it go.

Mack rolls his eyes, but I know him. He has a reputation for a reason.

He’s a good guy and a loyal friend. Hell, I’d defend the guy with my dying breath, but I’m not oblivious to his less-than-stellar ways.

Around girls, he lets his dick take the lead, and it doesn’t always end well. He treats his hook-ups with respect, but he can be careless when it comes to the emotional side of things.

“Did something happen between the two of you…” I let the rest of my sentence hang in the air.

“Just drop it, Levi.” Mack keeps his gaze on the wooden tabletop, jaw visibly tight.

Sighing, I lean back in my chair and scrub a hand over my face. “Fine, but if you ever want to talk about what that was or wasn’t, I’m here for you.”

A beat passes before he looks up, the easygoing smile back in place and whatever moment he had gone.

“It’s nothing, just me shooting the shit with her.” He shrugs. “Anyway, tell me about hoodie girl.”

The mention of Bear is enough for my mouth to tip up into a ghost of a smile, and her face flashes through my mind. Instinctively, I look around again but still don’t catch a glimpse of her.

“You remember when that cardboard box was outside my door at the start of the school year? The one with ‘Bear Miller’ written on it?”

Mack takes a sip of his drink and nods. “Yeah, what about it?”

“Well, it turns out Bear is hoodie girl.”

“What?” Mack barks out a laugh, slapping the table with his hand. “No fucking way. Now I know why you were so tight-lipped about who came by that day. You wanted to keep her for yourself.”

I shoot him a glare, which only causes him to laugh harder.

“Hey man, I don’t blame you.” He raises his hands in surrender. “She’s hot, and you’ve never shown this much interest in someone since I’ve known you, so as your friend, this makes me happy.”

“Yeah, well, she’s different,” I mumble, fiddling with my straw.

I hate that line, but it’s true. She’s had my attention from day one. And every day since then, she’s become a constant in my thoughts. I wake up thinking about her and go to bed thinking about her.

She’s a presence in my life I didn’t know I wanted, and now I find myself willing to do anything to keep her in it.

I’d drive hours to see her if it meant spending five minutes together.

That’s how attached to her I’ve grown in the past few weeks.

The thought should scare me, but instead, I accept it for what it is: the truth.

Mack leans back in his chair, studying me, his tone turning serious for once. “What makes her different?”

“I don’t know. It’s just...shit, man, I’ve got it bad for her,” I say, rubbing the back of my neck, uncomfortable as hell to be talking about all these feelings and crap. But fuck it, I need to get this off my chest with someone. “It’s more than wanting to fuck her, you know?”

So much more, even thinking that’s the only thing I want from her leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

“What about Bear? How does she feel about you?” Mack asks.

That’s the damn million-dollar question.

We’re interrupted when our new server brings over our appetizer, and we quickly place our orders with him.

Mack wastes no time dipping a chip in the guacamole, and I do the same, thinking over my answer to his question as I chew.

“She kind of friend-zoned me,” I admit grimly.

The bite of food suddenly feels like cement in my stomach as I think back to my conversation with Bear at dinner.

As you can see, we'll be spending some time together over the next few months. I'd like us to at least try to be friends.

I called bullshit then, and I call it now. I know she feels the undeniable chemistry between us. There’s nothing remotely friendly about that. And honestly? Fuck that. I’d rather stick needles in my eyes than be just friends with Bear.

“No, shit.” Mack splutters, swallowing hard. “She friend-zoned you ?”

“Yes, that’s what I just said,” I mutter, annoyed that I have to hear that vomit-inducing sentence again.

“Because she’s not attracted to you or not looking for anything serious?”

“Oh, she’s attracted to me, alright,” I say without hesitation.

This isn’t even me being cocky. The night I left her outside her apartment after dinner, I could practically smell her arousal.

Bear can run and hide all she wants, but I know she feels this pull between us as much as I do.

“It’s more like she’s resisting whatever is between us. ”

“Interesting.” Mack muses, drumming his fingers on the table.

“What?” Suspicion coats my words.

“I think I might have a solution to your problem.”

I have a feeling I’m going to regret asking, but I’m so damn outside my comfort zone with Bear I might as well take advice where I can get it.

“And what’s that?”

“Two things,” he says, holding up two fingers. “Give her time and give her a reason to trust you.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s the worst fucking advice ever.”

"No, hear me out. If you show her she can trust you, she's more likely to open up to you, making the idea of being with you more appealing.” He crosses his two fingers, aligning them as one.

“But I know what I want, so why not go for it right now?”

“ You know what you want, but she doesn’t. Not yet, anyway.” He leans back in his chair. “If you come on too strongly right away, you risk scaring her off.”

I let his words sink in.

I’m an all-in-or-nothing sort of guy. I don’t half-ass anything, and having such strong feelings for Bear so quickly makes me want to bulldoze my way into her life.

I rub my jaw thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course, I’m fucking right.” Mack gloats, taking a sip of his drink. “From now on, call me the Mr. Miyagi of relationships.”

I throw my crumpled-up napkin at him, but the asshole dodges it easily, laughing as he does.

“Why don’t you invite her to the bonfire? We can go together as a group. Tell her to bring her friends. That way, it doesn’t feel so intimidating.”

The bonfire is an annual event that marks the start of fall. However, the swim team uses it to signify the beginning of the competition season. After that, partying slows down for most of us because we travel nearly every weekend for swim meets.

“Bear and Macy are friends,” I reply, watching him closely. “She might be there too.”

Mack doesn’t react, and his lack of reaction worries me more. “The more the merrier, right?” He says flippantly.

“Mack,” I narrow my eyes at him. “Just don’t make things weird.”

The last thing I want is for my best friend to be on the outs with one of Bear’s friends.

He chuckles. “You worry too much, Levi.”

“Whatever, there’s going to be fire, and Macy looks like the type to throw your ass in it if you annoy her,” I mutter, not wanting to baby him but also not wanting to see him get hurt.

And if there’s one thing I picked up about Macy, it’s that she’s not afraid to hold her own against anyone. And Mack seems to be at the top of her shit list.

“Oh, I know.” He grins like the idea isn’t fucking terrifying.

***

“Ow,” Mack groans, clutching his stomach a few hours later.

I roll my eyes, but since I’m walking behind him, it doesn’t have the desired effect. “I don’t know why you insisted on having ice cream when too much dairy wrecks your stomach.”

“You could have knocked the spoon out of my hand or something,” he whines as we weave through the tables.

We’re nearly at the door when I spot Macy in my periphery.

“Take these. I’ll meet you outside.” I hand Mack my car keys. “Don’t puke in my car,” I warn him.

I haven’t seen Bear all evening. At first, I thought we kept missing each other, seeing how busy it was, but now I’m not so sure.

And yeah, I could text her, but I don’t want it to seem like I’m checking up on her whereabouts.

I’m genuinely concerned, and if anyone might know where she is, it’s Macy.

“What’s up?” Macy asks, eyeing me from behind the bar.

I decide to come right out with it. “Isn’t Bear supposed to be working tonight?”

Setting a beer to the side, she wipes her hands on a tea towel. “She called out sick.”

What?

That doesn’t make sense. We texted this morning, and she never mentioned feeling sick.

What could’ve happened between then and now?

“What’s wrong with her?” I ask, trying to keep my cool and not freak out at the thought of her being sick and alone.

Macy raises her brows but doesn’t comment on my visible panic. “She was having cramps and asked if I could cover for her.”

“What kind of cramps?” I ask dumbly.

She doesn’t elaborate, simply cocks her head at me like I’m slow to catch up. Evidently, I am because it takes me way longer than it should to put two and two together.

“Oh. Those kinds of cramps.”

“Yeah. Those kinds of cramps,” Macy says. “Bear will be fine, I promise. I gotta get this drink to a table. Is there anything else you need?”

Knowing she hasn’t come down with some bug is only mildly comforting. But she’s still in pain, and that doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t have any sisters, but I grew up with a single mom, so things like periods don’t weird me out in the slightest.

Mack’s words flash in my mind.

Give her time and a reason to trust you.

The time part is out of my hands. But the trust? That I can work on.

It might not be what Mack had in mind, but whatever. Flowers and fancy things to win a girl’s heart are overrated anyway.

This plan will either blow up in my face or be the best decision I’ve ever made.

Taking a gamble, I say, “Yeah, actually, there is.”