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5

y/n leaned back against the booth, crossing her arms tightly across her chest as she watched mike settle in across from her, looking far too pleased with himself. her jaw clenched slightly as she studied his smug expression. "did you really have to say that we'd get three slices each?" she asked, her voice calm but carrying a pointed edge.

mike shrugged casually, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "it's pizza, y/n. you can't have too much pizza," he replied, like it was the most obvious truth in the world.

y/n rolled her eyes and muttered, "sure," before glancing away. she let her gaze wander across the busy restaurant, watching families laugh together and groups of friends animatedly chat over their meals. the hum of conversations, the occasional clang of plates, and the muffled music from the jukebox filled the air around her. she tapped her fingers lightly on the table, trying to distract herself from the mild irritation bubbling under the surface. just as she began to lose herself in her thoughts, her phone buzzed in her pocket. grateful for the distraction, y/n pulled it out and saw a new notification in the group chat she shared with mike and nora.

it was a voice memo from nora.

curiosity piqued, she turned up the volume slightly and raised the phone's speaker to her ear, listening intently.

"you guys are going to hate meee..." nora's voice groaned through the phone. y/n's brow furrowed as her friend continued. "i swear i'll get on the road as soon as i can, but something last minute popped up. i'm not gonna bore you with all the details...the long and short of it is one of my clients made a last-minute change. their payments are about the only thing paying my rent. i hate to leave so late, but i got to keep them happy..." nora sighed audibly before finishing, "i'll get done with this logo before you know it and be on my way. i swear."

as the voice memo ended, y/n pulled the phone away and stared down at the screen. she tried to keep her expression neutral, but a flicker of frustration crept in. she understood nora's predicament, but that didn't stop her from feeling the weight of the situation-having to spend more time alone with mike than she originally planned. she quickly typed out a response, trying not to let her irritation bleed into her words.

𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝟯𝗲𝘃𝗮
𝟻:𝟻𝟾 𝚙.𝚖.

y/n: noraaaa :(( pls be
careful. i hate that
ur going to be late
too but take ur time...

meanwhile, mike had noticed y/n's sudden focus on her phone and raised an eyebrow. "what's happening?" he asked, leaning forward slightly.

y/n sighed and glanced up at him. "nora's going to be late," she said simply, then went back to typing her message. mike pulled out his phone as well, texting nora his own response.

𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝟯𝗲𝘃𝗮
𝟻:𝟻𝟾 𝚙.𝚖.

mike: drive slow
and don't worry.
i'll make sure y/n
stays up to let you in.

when he was finished, michael shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "i guess we'll have to start the fun without her," he concluded, a teasing lilt in his voice as he pocketed his phone again.

y/n shot him a doubtful look, narrowing her eyes. "what kind of fun?" she asked, raising a brow-already bracing herself for whatever nonsense he had in mind.

she watched as mike leaned back with a grin, crossing his arms behind his head. "don't act like you don't know what i'm talking about..." he trailed off, letting the statement hang in the air. y/n frowned, her mind racing with possibilities as she tried to figure out what he meant. her unease was cut short when her phone vibrated violently on the table, its ringtone cutting through the ambient noise of the restaurant. startled, she looked down at the screen, expecting to see nora's name pop up.