I glanced at the empty seat across from me. "Of course, sit." Inside, I gave Alicia a mental thumbs-up.

No wonder she'd sworn she was going after William—girl staged that "accidental run-in" like a pro.

***

Alicia tried hard to keep the convo alive, but William barely said a word. Only perked up when she brought up schoolwork. Eventually, she bailed, tray still half-full.

Figured lunch must've sat heavy in her stomach.

As I watched her leave, a hand clamped on my head and spun me around.

I plastered on a sheepish grin.

William. Arms crossed. Face saying, 'start talking.'

"I just... noticed the campus queen had a thing for you, so I figured I'd play wingman. What if it worked out?"

He gave me a weird look. "Well, that was a waste of time."

I gawked. "Seriously? Alicia's gorgeous and you're not even interested? Either you've got no taste, or your standards are nuts."

He actually thought about it. "Sweet, gentle types aren't my thing. And I don't like people who waste food."

I stared. That was it?

Not your type—fine. But knocking her for wasting food? Dude, you iced her out so hard she couldn't eat.

I screamed that in my head. Out loud, I just kept nodding.

Still, I wasn't discouraged. The plan only bombed because I had no clue what kind of person William actually liked.

Couldn't just straight-up ask him—too obvious.

So I went fishing for answers from Jace.

Jace, the campus flirt. Always bragging about his 'plenty of girls, no strings' lifestyle. He hopped from girl to girl like it was a sport—always had one on his arm. If anyone knew, it was him.

That night I laid it out to him.

He cleared his throat. "You came to the right guy. Look, cute's got nothing on sexy. A dude like William—looks proper, secretly repressed? He'd totally fall for that type."

I cracked up.

***

Later, I scrolled through candid shots of Brittany Saxey on the forum.

Wavy hair, delicate face, slim curves, legs for days—walking head-turner. I stared at the screen, then at William, buried in prep for the Tech Startup Contest.

'Lucky you,' I smirked.

Finding out she'd once slipped him a love letter made my chest tighten.

Not that I was ugly. So why wasn't anyone chasing me?

I sulked over it while we walked, then asked him.

He gave me a once-over. "Your features are small. Face too. Makes you look super young. Honestly? First time I saw you, I thought you were some high schooler dropping off your older brother."

Yeah, message received—I was everybody's little brother.

"But you've got good looks," he added. "Especially your eyes. Shape's perfect. Really attractive."

He flashed a quick smile and walked ahead.

A few steps later, he glanced back. "I mean it. Your eyes are really pretty."

The sun hit his hair just right, turning it gold. Tall, gorgeous—my heart stuttered.

Crap. Was William actually flirting? No proof, but still.

I jogged up and smacked his arm, pretending to brush it off.

For days after, I kept slipping Brittany into conversation. Showed him pics, dropped random details.

Every time, he froze for a beat. Once, he even asked what I thought of her.

Yeah, felt like perfect timing to finally set them up.

I picked a busy street for the vibe and set their meet-up for the next day.

***

I got there early and ducked behind a stall.

When Brittany and William showed up and actually seemed to click, I called his phone, layering on fake stress. "Uh... something came up. Club leader dumped a last-minute task on me. Can't make it. You two hang without me."

He hesitated.

I cut him off fast. "Gotta go, he's calling again." Hung up.

William looked around.

I sank lower. For a second, I swore his eyes flicked my way... maybe just paranoia.

Tugging my baseball cap down, I finally felt a little safer.

The smell of fried cheese curds from a truck nearby had my stomach growling.

I watched them: snacking, watching street shows, Brittany trying on accessories while William stood there smiling like the perfect boyfriend. They looked like a couple.

Something twisted in my gut. Guess this is how Batman felt when Robin got a girlfriend.

I shook the thought away, but when I looked up—poof. They were gone.

Panic hit. I scanned the crowd—nothing.

Then I spun around and smacked straight into someone. My cap brim snapped back, throwing me off balance—until a hand caught me by the waist.

Another hand knocked my cap clean off.

I reached to grab it back—froze. My arm dropped.

"I... uh, finished my task early. Saw you guys and didn't wanna crash."

He let out a quiet, knowing laugh. "Do I really look that easy to fool?"

I bit my tongue. "Where's Brittany? You were just with her."

Glancing up, I caught his sigh.

"She went home."

***

I just nodded, trailing after him.

He stopped at a food truck. "One order of fried cheese curds. Extra ketchup."

My ears perked. I glanced up at him, surprised.

Minutes later, hot greasy treasure in my hands. I held one up to him. He met my eyes, leaned down, and took a bite.

Figuring he'd cooled off, I asked, "So... when did you know I was following?"

"From the start."

...Seriously? That fast?

He tapped my shirt. "You wore that yesterday."

Oh. Not trash stealth—trash laundry cycle.

He seemed chill now, so I pushed my luck. "So... what do you think of Brittany?"

He froze mid-step and turned, eyes locked on me. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. Do you like her or not?" My voice dipped under the weight of his stare.

Forever passed before he finally said, quiet but certain: "I don't."

Wait—seriously? Standards that high? Not even a smoke show like her made the cut?

Now I had to know. "Then what kind of person do you like?"

His gaze sharpened, holding me pinned for thirty whole seconds.

Just when I thought he'd blow me off, he leaned down, caging me in.

Startled, I shoved his chest. His heartbeat thudded against my palm, my arm going weak.

He let out a low laugh. "I like big eyes, a cute face... and someone clingy."

His breath brushed my skin, and heat shot straight through me.