Chapter 1

The moment I walked over, Piper Wolfe and Cole Carter ripped away from each other.

Piper scrambled for a cover story, but her lie had been completely blown.

"I was just blowing sand out of Cole’s eye. You know how our connection works," she added, her voice shaky, "It feels awful for me when he gets stuff in his eye. You’re not starting another petty fight, are you?"

I just shook my head, my gaze coldly sweeping across Cole’s swollen lips. I reached out, grabbed Piper’s chin, pulled a tube of toothpaste out of my bag, and squeezed a thick glob directly onto her lips.

"Finn, what the hell are you doing?" she gasped, taking a step back, "How am I supposed to eat now?"

"Well, Cole’s lips look like someone really wrecked them," I said, letting the accusation hang in the air.

"Aren't you two physically connected? I just didn't want you to suffer, so I brought some toothpaste to cool the burn."

Before Piper could recover her composure, I kept pushing.

"Didn't you two swear off physical contact with other people? Since Cole broke the rule, does that mean you and I can finally kiss?"

Cole’s face darkened instantly, his eyes shooting daggers at Piper. "Don't you dare!"

I pulled out my lip balm, coated my lips, and stepped right into Piper’s space. "So, are we doing this or what?"

Piper shoved me away without a second thought. "There are people everywhere, don't you have any shame? Let's just go find a booth."

Whispers from the surrounding crowd invaded my ears.

"How pathetic," a girl murmured nearby, "Those two were practically devouring each other a second ago. They're clearly together. And he's standing there begging her for a kiss right in front of her boyfriend?"

"Predictable," another guy snickered, "Got shot down hard."

I stood glued to the floor, watching their backs as they walked away, fighting to drown out the burning stares pinned to my neck.

By the time I caught up, a group had already claimed their usual table.

Piper immediately nudged me toward them. "Go talk to that girl over there and ask if we can share the booth."

My hands balled into tight fists as I stared at her. "Why me?"

"You know why!" she scoffed, annoyed, "Cole and I share sensations. If some random girl touches him, gross, I can't handle that!"

Cole chuckled, leaning his weight casually on Piper’s shoulder. "The thought of Piper being touched by another girl is hilarious! So, you're our only hope, Finn!"

Even though I already knew she didn't care about me, I couldn't stop the question from spilling out. "Aren't you worried someone will hit on me, Piper? I'm your boyfriend."

Piper reached out and gave my nose a teasing pinch. "Don't be dramatic, silly. It's just a little harmless flirting, it's not like I'm going to break up with you over it. Just go."

People had a habit of paying attention to me. The moment I walked up to the booth, the girl took one look at my face and instantly agreed to let us sit.

Cole threw Piper a suggestive wink, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Damn, Finn's got pull. You hit the jackpot, Piper!"

Piper laughed right along with him. "Right? I had no idea Finn could be such a flirt. Guess I picked the wrong spots when we first started dating, sticking to quiet libraries and parks."

I clenched my teeth so hard my jaw throbbed, a sharp pain slicing straight through my chest.

The girl sharing the booth leaned in, curious. "So, who here is actually a couple?"

She gestured to a sign on the table. "The bar is running a couple's trivia challenge. Match ten answers in a row with your partner, and your entire tab is free."

Without a second of hesitation, Piper threw her arm around Cole's neck. "We're a couple!"

She leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Finn, Cole and I have that shared connection, so we're guaranteed to win. Just play along so we can get free drinks, okay?"

She didn't miss a single question, casually blurting out exact details about the most sensitive spots on Cole's body.

Meanwhile, the drink she ordered for me was a mango cocktail, the one thing I was violently allergic to.

I let out a bitter laugh, picked up every single glass on the table except the mango drink, and drained them one by one.

When the two of them finally came back to the table, arms draped over each other's shoulders, Piper froze. She watched me knock back glass after glass, looking bewildered.

"Finn, don't get the wrong idea," she stammered, "I only knew those answers because of the connection."

Cole cut in, loud and obnoxious. "Whoa, Finn! Did you drink all that just because you thought the tab was free?"

He smirked, shaking his head. "Too bad the deal only covers mine and Piper's drinks. You're stuck paying for your own stuff, man."

Piper grabbed the bottle sitting next to me. "You opened something this expensive?" she gasped, "If you get stuck washing dishes in the back to pay for it, don't expect me to stick around."

I looked at both of their smug faces and smiled. I gestured casually to the mountain of high-end bottles scattered across the table.

"You've got it wrong," I said smoothly, "All of these were sent over by other people in the bar."

I leaned back, meeting Piper's eyes. "So just like you, I'm not spending a single cent."