Page 18 of Fighting Fate

He strides over to her, a playful smirk on his face. "I've got a room, Pennington, and let's just say it's well-used," he quips, grabbing his coffee back.

Payson rolls her eyes dramatically. "Is that your roundabout way of admitting you're a player, Luke?" she shoots back, snatching the coffee again and heading for the door, clearly not planning to return it.

Luke just shakes his head, resigned. "You're welcome, by the way."

Payson arches an eyebrow, tossing her hair back with a dramatic flair. "And why exactly? For gracing you with my presence? I'm aware it's quite irresistible," she remarks, a cunning grin on her lips. Before she leaves, she drops a hint to Milli about something from the night before.

Last night? My curiosity piqued, wondering what might have happened.

Before I can dwell on it, Milli gestures toward the menu, signaling for a matcha latte. I order up a storm, compensating for our missed kitchen raid—coffee, bagels, pancakes, eggs, fruit, orange juice. I'm pretty sure the cashier is silently thanking me for my generous contribution to their daily sales.

Returning to the table, Milli is still on the phone, probably with her mom.

"Hey, Mrs. Sutton," I chime in, noticing Milli's grateful glance for the interruption.

"Oh, Miles," her mom responds with her usual upbeat tone. "We were just talking about Milli's advisor meeting—or lack thereof."

Milli rolls her eyes, mouthing, "Thank you," and taking a sip of her latte.

"We've still got a week, Mom," Milli says, trying to keep her cool.

"Don't worry, Mrs. S., I'll make sure Milli doesn't slack off," I say, throwing a wink at Milli, which only makes her cheeks turn a deeper shade of red. Did I just make things awkward? Maybe I'm still a bit frazzled from practice.

As I start on my feast, Luke joins us, a slip of paper tucked into his sweatpants—Toriey's number, no doubt.

Mrs. Sutton's voice interrupts my thoughts. "Why didn't you call me last night, Milli? You were supposed to."

Milli hesitates, her expression troubled. "I got busy," she says vaguely.

Busy doing what, exactly? Payson's cryptic comment about last night gnaws at me. Something's up, and I can't shake off a nagging feeling of concern.

Miles, she doesn't need overly concerned men in her life, let alone at college.

Luke leaps into the conversation. "Busy with what? Weren't you just supposed to unpack and get some rest for the dance?"

Milli looks trapped, her eyes darting between her phone and Luke. It's clear why she was hesitant about coming to NorthRidge—this kind of scrutiny from her own family.

Acting on impulse, I cut in, "She was with me, Mrs. S. I was giving her a tour of the campus, showing her all the important spots, you know, dance studio, library, that kind of stuff."

Luke's gaze snaps toward me, his eyes briefly ablaze with irritation, a storm that quickly clears as Milli interjects, "Yeah, I just wanted to get familiar before today. No biggie."

A twinge of frustration knots in my stomach—"no biggie" that I'm in the dark about her escapades last night. My hands ball into fists beneath the table, a silent battle raging within me as I remind myself that Milli's life isn't mine to control. Yet, that doesn't strip away my role as her steadfast friend, our history of shared secrets, a testament to our bond.

Luke watches me intently, his eyes narrowing slightly as I dismiss Milli's comment with a shake of my head, then he refocuses on his meal. His protective stance is understandable; since that charged night at the club, he's been clear about boundaries, marking Milli as forbidden territory. Not just because she's my lifelong friend, but also because of our friendship. The thought of crossing that line with Milli is like flirting with chaos, but in the secrecy of my heart, I'd brave any storm for another chance to taste those soft, tempting lips.

Miles, stay grounded.

"Oh," her mother interjects, her tone laced with curiosity. "That's wonderful, Milli. And thank you, Miles, for being there for her. I'm sure she appreciates having you and Luke by her side."

"Yeah, so much love," Milli mutters under her breath, a comment lost on Luke. "Anyway, Mom, I should get going. Got things to wrap up here," Milli says.

"Alright, honey, have a great day. Call me later this week, okay?" Mrs. Sutton's voice is warm and motherly.

"Sure thing, Mom," Milli replies, her smile tight but genuine.

"Love you, Luke. Can't wait for your game next week."

"Love you too, Mom," echoes Luke.