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amara scanned the restaurant, her eyes darting from table to table before settling on a cozy booth near the back. "there," she said, nodding toward it.

"good choice," noni replied, gesturing for her to lead the way.

she slipped into the booth, her movements slightly hesitant as she adjusted her coat and reached for the menu. noni slid in across from her.

amara buried her face in the menu, pretending to study it as if she hadn't already decided what she wanted within the first glance. the air felt different—quiet, but not uncomfortable. it was just...new.

she could feel his eyes on her, not in an overbearing way but enough to make her cheeks warm. refusing to look up, she flipped a page of the menu she wasn't even reading. after a moment, she heard the faint buzz of his phone and dared to glance up.

noni was leaning back against the booth, his attention now on the screen in his hand, scrolling idly.

amara let out a quiet breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and forced herself to relax. she told herself to act normal, but her mind kept circling back to the thought—this wasn't like the usual group hangouts. this was different.

noni set his phone down, face down on the table, and leaned forward slightly. "so, are you planning to get what you got last time?"

amara blinked, lowering the menu just enough to look at him. "what was that?"

"the spicy prawn linguine," he said smoothly, a small smirk tugging at his lips.

her brows lifted, and for a moment, she was caught off guard. "you remembered that?"

he shrugged, "yeah. why wouldn't i?"

she hesitated, then nodded. "sure, i'll get that."

"i'll get the same then," noni said casually, closing his menu without a second glance.

amara chuckled nervously, the sound a little forced as she busied herself with folding the corner of her napkin.

NONI'S POV:

he leaned back in his seat, watching her with a mix of amusement and curiosity. it was funny, really—amara colwill, who couldn't stand him on most days, sitting across from him looking like she'd rather be anywhere else but here.

she was nervous. he could see it in the way her fingers fidgeted with the menu, her eyes darting around like she was trying to avoid holding his gaze for too long.

it amused him more than it should. for someone who was supposed to dislike him, she sure was wound up over lunch.

but then again, he wasn't here to be nice. this wasn't some innocent attempt to be friends or whatever she might think. no, this was about levi.

taking a sip of water, he thought back to how smug his best friend had looked with madison draped all over him at reese's party. the memory still left a bitter taste in his mouth.

this wasn't about amara, not really. she was just a pawn in the game—a way to even the score. he'd add her to his roster, make her think she was special for a bit, and then he'd move on like he always did. it wasn't personal

-

SNAPCHAT:

maisie 💞 sent you a snap.