Andie blushes.
“I mean … maybe, no not really. Okay, sort of, yes. He’s fierce in bed, Simone. And so intense, and absolutely hung too. I could barely fit him inside, and I swear, I was limping around the nextday. But don’t tell anyone!” she says quickly, sitting up. “Not even Stella knows about us. Not yet, at least.”
“Wow,” I marvel. “Stella’s dad. You like your men seasoned.”
“Don’t,” she warns, but she’s laughing now, too. “I’m just saying that anything’s possible. That’s all. And before you judge?—”
“Not judging. I’m proud.” I raise my cup in a toast. “To smokin’ hot old dudes.”
She giggles. “You’re the worst.”
I squeeze her hand again. “You should go for it. Worst thing that happens is you become a sugar baby because he’s an older guy. So he has it all figured out, right?”
She leans back, exhaling. “Yeah. Maybe.”
Liam returns, eyebrows slightly furrowed but otherwise chill. “Everything okay here?” he asks.
Andie nods, fixing her face into her usual armor. “Perfect. Simone says I have to start dating men my own age, though.”
I roll my eyes. “Never said that.”
He glances at me, question in his eyes. I smile, and he lets it go.
Andie stands, checks her phone, and says, “I gotta run. Dog-walking gig. If I don’t show up, he pees in the neighbor’s shoes out of spite.”
She gathers her stuff, hugs me tight—longer than usual—then gives Liam a two-fingered salute. “Take care of her, or I’ll break your knees,” she says, all bravado.
He grins. “Wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise.”
She leaves, and the booth feels empty without her kinetic energy, but also a little more peaceful. I lean into Liam’s side, let his arm drape over my shoulders.
He kisses my hair, then murmurs, “Do I want to know what you were discussing?”
I shake my head, then whisper, “She’ll kill me for telling you, but Andie’s sleeping with an older guy. He’s super fit, allegedly.”
Liam snorts. “Maybe he can give me gym tips.”
I nudge him and giggle. “Don’t get competitive.”
He laughs, then grows quiet. “I like this,” he says, softly. “The three of us, at peace. I’ve never had that before.”
I snuggle closer. “Me neither.”
For a while, we just sit there, drinking lukewarm coffee and watching the campus glow with late light.
It’s not dramatic, or forbidden, or even particularly original.
But it’s ours.
And right now, that feels like more than enough.
Later that evening,I sit on the porch swing at Liam’s house, lazily moving back and forth. The swing is ancient, painted white but flaking to reveal rust-colored metal underneath, and it croaks with every arc. The whole porch smells like citronella and wet wood. There are fireflies already, flashing in fits above the lawn, even though it’s not quite dark enough for them to blendin. I tuck my feet under me and let the air touch my ankles, cold and perfect after a day that left my skin sticky with sweat.
Liam’s hand covers mine, bigger than my whole palm, and we both stare out at the yard like it’s the most fascinating show on TV. There’s no one else around—just the sigh of the street, the hush of post-dinner life, and the long, soft echo of summer.
He runs his thumb along the inside of my wrist, which still makes me shiver. “Do you ever wonder if this was all a terrible idea?”
I snort. “You mean dating a student, or dating me?”
