LOGINNOAH’S POVHow in the world…Just then, Emelda steps up beside me, and another presence appears behind her. I don’t even have to turn around to know it’s Tyson.The moment Miles’s eyes land on him as he walks into the dining area, I catch the brief but unmistakable coldness that flashes across his face.Cold dread settles in my stomach.This isn’t going to be good.At the same time, confusion fills me. How the hell did he even know where we were? Could it be that…My eyes widen slightly as realization hits me. I immediately turn to Emelda and lean closer.“That photo you took. Did you post it?”She nods, then freezes when she realizes exactly what she’s done.“I’m so sorry.” She whispers.I close my eyes briefly, fighting the urge to smack my palm against my forehead.“And you turned on the location too, didn’t you?”When I open my eyes again, she nods timidly, looking thoroughly embarrassed.Right. Of course.That’s a fucking dead giveaway.I turn my attention back to Miles. His cold
NOAH’S POV“You were like a light in my darkest days, Noah. Because of you, I was able to smile again and not feel like my entire life was one big fucking misfortune.”His eyes soften with sincerity as he says it, and I simply stand there, listening.He takes another step closer.“And I know I messed up. Big time. When I got better, I realized how much the world had gone on without me. My spotlight was gone, and my position on the team had been taken by my best friend. I became bitter, and it made me a fucking jerkface and a coward, Noah.”He looks down briefly before meeting my eyes again.“I was afraid you’d be disappointed with what you saw. I was afraid you might not like me as much when we finally met in person. I kept overthinking everything, Noah. I—”“And of all the things you could have done, you had to send me a fucking breakup text!”I cut him off, another wave of anger rushing through my veins.He opens his mouth, but I shake my head, still unable to understand his logic.
NOAH’S POV“Oh my God, Noah! Tyson, pass her the water, quick!”Emelda’s panicked voice cuts through the dining, and Tyson immediately reaches for the glass and hands it to me.The second it’s in my hands, I practically gulp down the entire thing as though I’ve just been handed the water of life.Which, in this particular moment, it pretty much is. Except I still want to fucking die.Thankfully, the water clears whatever had lodged itself in my throat, and I can finally breathe properly again. I take several slow, deep breaths, trying to calm myself as the embarrassment settles in.“Careful, dear.” Mr. Rodriguez says, genuine worry in his voice.I offer him a small smile.“I’m fine now.”I return to my food, taking much smaller bites this time, as though the tortilla is somehow responsible for nearly choking me to death instead of the fact that Tyson and I have apparently just been declared a perfect couple.“Papa. “You can’t say things like that. They’re exes.” I hear Emelda whisper
NOAH’S POV “And then, guess what the weirdo said to me after I flung his money back at him?” Emelda asks. When neither of us answers, she simply answers herself, laughing at her own story as she does. “He literally said I’d just missed my one and only chance to be taken out of my pathetic life as a café waitress by an elite like him. Bruh, that guy’s watch looked fake as fuck. Elite my ass!” On any other day, I would have laughed. But not today. Not while I’m sitting in the back seat of Tyson’s car with him behind the wheel, driving us toward Emelda’s home. Of all the people who could have turned out to be Emelda’s friend, it just had to be Tyson. I almost groan as I sink deeper into my seat. Why the hell do I always end up trapped in situations I don’t want to be in, surrounded by people I’d rather keep a healthy distance from? At this point, I highly suspect voodoo. My phone suddenly beeps with a notification, pulling me out of my thoughts. I glance down at the screen and s
NOAH’S POV Once classes are over, I head straight to the café where Emelda works. I haven’t seen her in days, not since that day at the rink, and I haven’t spotted her around campus either. At this point, I’m starting to get seriously worried. A small part of me is even afraid she might have gone back to Mama B. Which is why the relief that washes over me when I walk into the café and find her behind the counter, attending to a customer, is almost overwhelming. Her eyes light up the moment they land on me. “Noah!” she says excitedly. She quickly finishes with the customer before coming around the counter. The moment she reaches me, she pulls me into a tight hug before I can even ask if everything is okay. “Oh, Noah.” She pulls away, her eyes suddenly soft and slightly teary. “How can I ever repay you for what you did for me?” “Maybe you can start by telling me why you haven’t shown up at school for a while now?” I ask. She gives me an exaggerated, almost comically offended lo
NOAH’S POV “Do you really have no shame now, Presley? Getting all cozy and romantic with your girlfriend right in my office, huh?” Coach Eddie raises a funny warning brow at Miles. Miles only laughs and presses himself even closer against my side, like he’s intentionally trying to make the situation ten times worse. I force the small smile on my face to stay in place, even though the one thing I want to do right now is shove him away and escape this embarrassing situation before the heat threatening to crawl up my neck completely exposes me. But of course, I can’t. Not with Coach Eddie and Mercedes watching. Especially Mercedes. And, if I’m being completely honest with myself, there’s a tiny part of me that actually enjoys the show Miles is putting on while she watches. Maybe it’s petty, but I like that she has to see he’s already taken. By me. “What do you think, Coach?” Miles asks, that teasing grin already spreading across his lips. “We look perfect together, don’t you thi







