“At the risk of losing my status as the alpha male of this group—"
Chloe and I both snort so loudly people at the next table look over.
“Alpha male?” Chloe repeats. “Since when?”
“I regret everything already.”
“You lost that title when you cried at that dog rescue video,” I say.
“That dog had three legs.”
“You sobbed.”
“It was brave.”
Chloe waves her hand. “Ask your question, fallen alpha.”
AJ sighs. “Would youwantto date him?”
I look down at my cup, tracing the rim with my thumb.
“I don’t know,” I admit.
They both stay quiet.
“I don’t even know what he thinks,” I add.
AJ nods. “So you don’t know if this is attraction or proximity.”
“Exactly.”
I stare into my coffee again.
“I think what’s throwing me is that nothing has beensaid. And I’m not twenty-five. I’m not doing guessing games.”
Chloe smiles slightly. “Good.”
“I mean it. If someone wants to date me they can say so. I’m too old for decoding eye contact.”
AJ raises his cup. “That should be on a mug.”
“And yet,” Chloe says quietly, “you’re still thinking about him.”
I don’t answer that.
Because I am.
And they both know it.
“I just… don’t know what this is,” I admit. ‘And maybe I just imagined it all.”
Chloe reaches across and squeezes my hand briefly.
I exhale slowly.
“London will probably make things clearer,” I say.
They both go very still.
