I roll my eyes so hard I nearly see the back of my skull, but the smile breaks free anyway. “Okay, fine. It’s catchy. Sue me for having taste.”
“Ah, but I can’t sue you yet,” he shoots back, spinning forward to fall in step beside me again. “The copyright is still pending. Looks like you’re in luck this time and won’t have to pay up. I’m even feeling generous, so take this as permission to use it royalty-free… as long as you give me credit in the liner notes.”
“Liner notes? We’re not even in a band yet, you narcissist.”
“Yet,” he echoes, bumping me with his hip. “Key word. And when we are, you’ll have to list me as your muse. Top billing.”
We cut past the fountain, where the water glitters in the March light like someone scattered diamonds across it. Dmitri starts humming the bridge from the piece we’ve been dissecting in class. It’s even more out of tune than normal, and he breaks out into an awful rendition of the melody just to crack me up.
I shove him sideways. “Stop butchering my favorite part, you menace.”
He stumbles dramatically, clutching his chest like I’ve mortally wounded him, then pops back up with a grin. “Wow. Violent. I offer you musical gold and you repay me with assault.”
I laugh despite myself, the sound bubbling up louder than I mean it to. “You’re impossible.”
“And you love it,” he says, tossing me a quick sideways grin that hits like sunlight—bright, warm, and hard to look at for long.
For a second everything feels perfect. The sun is warm on my face, Dmitri’s laughter is light and rumbling beside me, and in this moment nothing else matters. I don’t think about the exam tomorrow I’m not ready for, or that I still haven’t figured out how to tell my parents I can’t make it back for spring break, or my last few disastrous dates that quickly fizzled out to nothing.
Right now, I just think about how easy this is. How right.
Then I seehim.
Jaden waves from across the quad. He’s a few inches shorter than me, with a head full of dark curls and an eyebrow piercing that glints in the sun. He’s wearing another distressed band tee—this one tight enough to hug his flat stomach. I fight the urge to tug my shirt away from my torso, suddenly aware of those extra pounds I’ve put on since I stopped playing football.
Jaden jogs closer with that same confidence Dmitri has. His is softer around the edges, where Dmitri’s energy can be intense sometimes. They’ve been casually seeing each other for a couple months now, even if it’s nothing serious… at least from what Dmitri’s said in passing. He claims they’re just hanging out, and that there are no labels.
Jaden reaches us, smiling wide. “There you are. I’ve been texting you.”
Dmitri checks his phone with a wince. “Shit, sorry. I never took it off silent after class.”
“No worries.” Jaden glances at me with a polite nod. “Hey, Eric.”
“Hey.” I nod back, forcing my smile to stay even.
Jaden turns to Dmitri, voice dropping a notch. “You still good for tonight? I got us on the list for that pop-up at The Basement and thought we could grab dinner first.”
Dmitri hesitates. It’s just half a second, but I catch it. He looks at me with something unreadable on his face, then smiles back at Jaden. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Just let me finish walking Eric back toward the dorm path.”
“I’m fine,” I interrupt, a rush of something hot burning low in my stomach.
Jaden glances at me, and a flicker of annoyance crosses his face before he turns to Dmitri again. “I’ll wait by the fountain. Take your time.”
He steps back to give us space, and Dmitri turns to me, expression softening. He opens his mouth like he might say something, then closes it again before offering a cautious smile. “Guess that’s my cue,” he says quietly.
“Yeah.” I swallow. “Have fun tonight.”
“I’ll text you after.” He bumps my shoulder one last time, lighter than before. “Don’t bomb that exam because you’re overthinking. You’ve got this.”
I laugh, but it feels forced. “I’ll try.”
He lingers for a beat, eyes searching mine like he’s checking for something. Then he nods, turns, and walks toward Jaden. They fall into step together, Jaden’s hand brushing Dmitri’s elbow as they head toward the parking lot.
I stand there a moment longer, coffee sweating in my hand as they disappear around the corner. The quad noise rushes back in, but it all feels farther away. My chest holds that tight, unfamiliar ache again, the one that’s been showing up more often lately.
Not jealousy, exactly.
Not anger.
