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“And you stay up late talking to her, and she makes you feel enough things that you have to go to Reddit and figure out what’s happening?”

“I only stay up late a tiny amount.”

Veronica laughs, but I’m already shaking my head.

“This is why I looked up the stupid spell thing. Because this is not normal, guys. A month ago, I had no one. Now I have Flora, I have some sort of weird irrational interest in a witch I’ve never met, and Phillip keeps⁠—”

Veronica looks at Dani, and Dani’s eyes immediately close.

“What?”

Neither of them answers, and they do that again with the silent talking through their brainwaves.

“What was that?” I ask, and I really feel my skin start to itch now. Because this is absolutely ridiculous. My life is a fucking rom-com that has spun out of control and I have, effectively and officially, turned into a fucking emotional support clown.

Dani exhales through her nose and straightens her back. “Okay.”

Veronica shakes her head. “Don’t.”

“We have to tell her, Vero.”

A horrible feeling crawls into my stomach. “Tell me what?”

Dani turns to look at me, and it’s almost like the whole cafeteria has gone silent. I swear I can hear her swallow.

“Phillip isn’t flirting with you.”

I stare at her. “Duh, I know.”

“No.” She glances at Veronica. “We know.”

My eyes move between them. “What does that mean?”

Veronica winces. “At first, we genuinely thought maybe he was flirting with you. He knew your name, he kept stopping to talk to you, like, every single time he saw you, and there was absolutely no obvious reason why he should be paying so much attention to an assistant he doesn’t work with.”

“Thank you!”

“But then there was an obvious reason.”

Dani picks up her soda and takes a large sip through the straw.

“How long have you known?”

“You know,” Veronica says, looking down at her half-eaten sandwich, “know is a strong word.”

“Guys.”

“A couple weeks?”

“A couple⁠—”

Several people at the next table turn.

I lower my voice. “You assholes.”

“We weren’t trying to be assholes, Merry,” Veronica says, although she is visibly fighting a smile. “You were so convinced it was connected to the spell.”

“Because you kept telling me he was flirting!”